General Music Chat

not sure why, but this put me in mind of an audition i'd gone on yrs ago in nyc. one of the big movie companies was looking for a band to use in an upcoming flick. they wanted the group to actually be playing and doing original music.

total cattle call w many, many groups there. the group i was playing w at the time got to the final round and all the groups... maybe about a hundred or so musicians are sitting on the floor waiting their turn while ea group goes up to perform one song.

we go up and didn't exactly knock it outta the park. we were ok but nothing special. i get off the stage and these two guys come over..."hey, great bass playing man! our bass player didn't show, would you help us out and play with us when it's our turn?" they tell me they have a chord chart that i can follow along with. sure, i'll get up there and play some tune i've never heard before in a room full of a hundred or so other musicians.

so, two or three bands go on and then it's their turn. the gtrst hands me this chart....not very clearly written w a gazillion chords, key changes, and several sections. i look at him and say "you're kidding, right?" "no, man...it's real straight ahead. you'll hear it".

so being a confident 21 yr old w big cajones i get up there on stage and the drummer counts off their fusion tune at a really fast tempo. i'm sweating bullets but actually hanging in there and feeling like hey, i can do this. and then the gtrst stops playing rhythm and starts soloing. it's all on me to represent these chord changes that make little sense. we finally finish and i know i didn't nail it but i'm feeling pretty good about how well i WAS able to hang.

applause from the room, a few people compliment me on having the stones to get up there and say some nice things about my playing. neither one of the guys i helped out thanked me. i think maybe the drummer kinda nodded at me as we left the stage. i went over to collect my girlfriend from where she was sitting and i see and hear the two guys hashing over our performance. one of 'em said to the other ....."well we did the best we could being stuck w that guy. too bad he couldn't read a chart". they left before i had a chance to go over and have words w them...probably a good thing.

oh, the other thing i remember, after this went down there was a guy who was admiring my old '63 P bass. he said "wow, cool bass! can i see it?" like a total asswipe i lifted the bass in his direction and snarled "here, now you see it" before putting it in it's case.

At least you could go by a chart.
Few or any of us here can do the chart thing - you and other non rock centric peeps can.
I could do basic charts under low pressure, but I don't have the experience to be jumping in a Nashville session, or whatever it may be. (Or the chops)

Sure, I bag on jazz because I'm personally not fond of it, and my main musical compadre in my youth was a hotshot muso that got into jazz - HOWEVER, I have the utmost respect for the jazz musician.

GT...you're a smart guy. if getting a better understanding of theory or the nashville number system holds any interest, or is of any importance to you...you should go for it. it's not voodoo, and it ain't brain surgery.

it's not like anyone NEEDS that stuff to create good music. nor is it a requisite for communicating w other musicians (tho it sure helps).