Musicality

[Doug Young]

Originally Posted by JonPR

Well, excuse the phrase (and no offence intended), but this is a "no-brainer"

It's nothing more than the way the brain learns any physical task. It's not special to music. The more you repeat things, the more the activity becomes subconscious. Obvious, right?

Yep, virtually everything in this book is sort of "of course, I knew that...", but presented well, with concrete tips for applying it to music, so nicely done. I found myself repeatedly thinking while reading it "this question comes up all the time on AGF", so even it appears obvious, there are people asking related questions, so it might help someone, and help reinforce things for anyone already familiar with it. Nice discussion of the differences between learning by ear and by reading, for example.

Other books I've liked related to musicality and learning:

Vic Wooten's The Music Lesson. Another where I don't think I read anything I didn't already know, but presented in such an amusingly different metaphysical way that I could feel the brain cells growing while reading (and re-reading it). Reinforcement's part of the process :-)

Adam Rafferty's new book, (I forget the title) largely based on his studies with Mike Longo (Dizzy Gillespie's pianist). Again, probably nothing earthshaking that any of us who have been playing for too many decades haven't heard before, but nicely presented, organized, with Adam's thoughts on application and taking advantage of the concepts. A tour of the elements of "musicality", with very practical application tips (how to prepare for an open mic, for example).

[rllink]

Originally Posted by Doug Young

Seems to me that theres a difference between playing a tune your own way - making it your own, rather than trying exactly mimic someone else, and being consistent. You can play with others and still have your own take on a tune, play with your own style, your own arrangement. The problem you seem to be describing, Brett, seems to be describing is a bit different, right? People who arent used to playing with others often have this problem, anything from changing structure to uneven tempos, even changing the lyrics. (Pretty hard to sing harmony to that.) and so on. But a person, or even a group can certainly have their own style and not have to copy someone else.

I play and sing solo often and I just go off how I feel at the moment. I also play with a group and with them I stay right there the way it was printed out on paper and don't deviate. I do though play with a fellow occasionally and he likes for me to take the lead and tells me to go for it, he will follow. I don't care what I do, he's right there with me. It is just insane how he can adjust on the fly like that.

Anyway, I watch a lot of Jimmy Buffett live and he doesn't ever seen to play a lot of his songs the same twice and I wonder if they rehearse them ten different ways or if the Coral Reefers are just so good that they can go wherever he does.

[cliff_the_stiff]

Originally Posted by davidbeinct

How does one develop it? I can play John Miller’s transcription of Mississippi John Hurt’s Spike Drivers Blues, which sounds quite faithful to the video of MJH playing it that’s included with the course material. I can only play it comfortably at 90-100 bpm and start falling apart at about 110. MJH plays it at about 160. I’m sure with work I can get there. I thought that was my big problem.
Yesterday, however, I watched a video of Dave Van Ronck playing Spike Drivers. He was playing it around 90-100 bpm. He started around 90 and was around 100 by the end. Never got faster than that. He was playing a very similar version to the one I’m working on. Yet he sounded so musical and I... don’t. I realize he’s got years of playing compared to my one (minus the false start in my twenties) but we’re essentially playing the same notes. How can I work on my musicality, separate from working on my speed?

Lots of good suggestions from our friends.
A couple simple things that I try to work on are holding the notes and let them ring clean as long as you can. Making certain that if the listener is waiting for the hook- Don’t screw up what the listener is waiting for.
Claude Debussy is attributed as saying “Music is the space between the notes”
Bach wrote the Cello suites without dynamic notation, so the pauses, the crescendos etc. are up to the interpretation of the artist. Musicality will come when we are proficient enough playing a piece that we can feel the emotion of it.

That emotion will translate.