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You won't suck if you pick & choose the material from the different genres carefully, & hone it to your own style.

I get where you're coming from, though, as in the bands that do covers exactly like the originals - the note for note guys.

When I was with FMF, we covered Lyle Lovette, Little Feat, Keb Mo, the Dead, Zappa, & Phish, while also playing some Cream & Jefferson Airplane & a cpl Paul Simon tunes, as well as our own originals, one of which was kinda folky/country, another reminded me of Santana, & I even managed to slip in one of my emo-ish tunes. We did it all our own way, & we got quite a good following for the short time we were together, about 2 yrs. We slipped in some Bob Marley & Gypsy Kings too. We could get into just about any kind of groove, & make it work. I was really proud of that band.

It seemed to work very well for us, but I don't see too many other bands doing that sort of thing.

I suppose that that's one of the things I like best about some of the hippie jam bands - they aren't afraid to stretch a bit.

I agree w/philbymon.
With enough experience, one can play several styles of music with skill.
If the results in any one genre aren't pleasing enough - more practice / experience will correct that fast enough . . .
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Don't get stuck in a rut with only a couple styles of music. If we stay in a rut too long, it can get deeper and deeper, until you can't see out of it.
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Hmm - I guess my point is to never devalue the efficacy of practice.

Yea, I guess. But it's also a matter of "like to play" more than "can play."

I even managed to slip in one of my emo-ish tunes.

Really? You sang bout threatening to cut yourself with razors and whined bout how your evil mother didn't buy you the 5 latest PSP games of the year, all while switching between 2 chords on the acoustic?
Okay

Evidently, Andrew, I'm not that familiar with emo...never heard that kinda thing.

I was under the impression that it was more like Dashboard Confessional, dealing mostly with love songs & emotional stuff like that.

What I meant was, we used one of my sappy-crappy love songs.

Seems to me some of them may have been prematurely gay.

haha yea Dashboard would be considered emo. It's a fashion, it's a genre, it's spreading like sh*t.

Eh....nothing wrong with a good old fashioned love song once in a while.

Yea like Deuce!

Jack of all trades, master of none. Play a bunch of different genres, master none of them. If it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, then it's probably not a goose. Yeah I play other genres occasionally, but I'm just an old blues guy, always will be. Not saying I've mastered anything but I am saying I'm not a bird of a different feather. If you come see The Bluefin Tuna Band you know what you're going to get, whether you like it or not, well that depends on how much you've had to drink. Later...

I disagree, Bob. I think a music MASTER is someone who actually can do multiple genres & do them well.

Elvis was considered a master by most, as an entertainer, in his own time.

The Beatles were masters of their craft.

Yes, there are those who are considered masters by your average joe who stick to one genre, as well, and they do very well by sticking to a single genre. They, however, are only appreciated by those who prefer their genre, & not by the general public.

But consider Bela Fleck - a guy that comes from a bluegrass background. He mastered his instrument better than any other, imho. He still plays bluegrass, but now he also has that kick-butt "jazz band," for want of a better term, that allows him to expand the use of his banjo and his writing skills into areas that bluegrass never could. He has also had the opportunity to jam with Phish, which turned out to be an incredible pairing. He's also played with a lot of the other "greats" in many other genres.

A guy that is a one trick pony could never do that as successfully.

Being a master of MUSIC is quite different than being a monster of metal or blues or what have you. I look at someone who's supposed to be idolized by the general public as an act that had best be a master of music & entertainment. That means being able to play virtually any genre well. That's the only way I know of that they could be accepted & appreciated by all of us who are so constrained by genre preference.

[quote="philbymon"] . . . I think a music MASTER is someone who actually can do multiple genres & do them well.

Yes, there are those who are considered masters by your average joe who stick to one genre, as well, and they do very well by sticking to a single genre.
They, however, are only appreciated by those who prefer their genre, & not by the general public.

Being a master of MUSIC is quite different than being a monster of metal or blues or what have you.
. . . being able to play virtually any genre well.
quote]
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Hey - well spoken . . .

Thank you, RM.

I think Lionel Ritchie was probably the last person to be a true crossover star, & he did it well, from the Commodores to his country hit, he had real class.

Why aren't there more?

multiple styles well??

HOGWASH.

Play what you feel. Others are useless, as they don't come from the soul.

You say potAto and I say Potato. lol

I guess for some any music is enjoyable endevor. I could not be happy playing pop or country music.

I could not be happy playing pop or country music.

I think you're the first Texan guy to say that xD