General Music Chat

Oh oh! It just turned into yet another name - dropping contest!
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A master is a highly skilled expert who knows all aspects of his instrument, and is often considered to be great by others.
While it is true that a master often has followers, I suspect that just listing the experts/masters won't answer any questions.
For example:
I wonder how many people feel they have actually mastered their chosen instrument?
And I wonder how long people think it takes to truly master something. (and . . . their ages, btw . . . .)
And how many highly regarded musicians (if asked), would say they are NOT masters, that they have a lot more to learn?
How many would say," Yeah, I AM a master?"
And how many masters are unknown . . . ?
How many masters have there been in all of history? A million? A thousand? . . . guess the answer to that depends on your idea of a master, huh?
I wonder how many people have it in themselves to do what is necessary to become a master.
And how many just love music; and because no one else is playing the kind of music they want to hear, they kept learning everything necessary in order to reproduce the music in their head . . . and so came to be regarded as masters at some time during the learning process . . .
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I wonder how many want to become masters just to be idolized?
This subject can go far, far beyond name dropping . . .

If you can get your instrument of choice to produce exactly what you have creatively envisioned, you have mastered that instrument - imho.

Naw, not name dropping I was genuinely interested in his response.

I play bass and sing. The other guys in the band are paid to do the hard stuff, guitar & keyboards. I guess standing in front of the band and singing your ass off isn't that easy for that matter. ery subjective subject...later fisherman bob

Hmmm..

I play my nose... I blow it and pick it...

Just kidding... just though I'd throw in a little humor before anything got too serious. All instruments have difficulties in their own right. To play any instrument as opposed to mastering it are two very different things.


Myself..... I play the piano first..... then the guitar....harmonica....

Also... how bout the vocal chords...... them babies can also be petty tough.. maybe no calluses but today...we had a great practice..... and man.. my throat is very very raw.....

Just my opinion....
Mike

as I see it it really matters not of what instrument one is playing or chooses to play as I have and continue to find out.

g! wrote:

you have to know music theory thoroughly to master any instrument (except the drums, of course)

[b]I have played the drums for 30 years ,anyone can BEAT/BANG on a kit but You must have (going to misspell this I just know it) faness to be able to PLAY the drums properly,and still I find Myself learning new and cool chops and licks, just as with anyother instrument, to Master something You have to take it to the end, to fullfill it to it's maxium potential,have any of You foundheard of anyone else thatfound the "end" in what ever instrument You/They play? can You not further Yourself with that instrument? is there nothing else to learn?
You can master a song,a note,or chord but I feel to master an instrument is to be the end where You can no longer learn anything new.
look at Neal Pert. BADDEST Drummer I have ever had the pleasure of seeing live and meeting. He told Me .... to get better is to NEVER stop learning.

not trying to step on anyone's toes, just adding My 2cents

every musical instrument is unique, therefore i fail to see how one can be classified as harder to play in general than another, as some people are natural vocalists, some people may just be naturally better suited to playing the drums, and find it difficult to play the guitar, and vice versa, then you get people who just naturallly dont find it overly difficult to learn an instrument at all.

as for the music theory point someone made, ive been playing drums for 6 years, bass guitar for 3, and acoustic/electric for 2., performing with a band for 2 years and writing and performing my own material for the past year and a half...and i had never had a music theory lesson, until last week, it confused me slightly, but even my music tutor told me that my musical ability wont improve, only my basic knowledge, but i told him...." i want to learn, simply because...."

I tend to think guitar is harder... mostly because there's more people to notice when you screw up... lol.