Not just blues guitar lesson-
Style and Musicality
Simplicity or complexity are not gauges of musicality or measures of artistry. Dig into your limitations, strengthen them, your style must conform to them!
Owning or Renting?
Be “sure footed” in those things you know will work for you. Groove on a little chord change that you got goin’,–and own it! Make it yours! (Work till it’s easy to play-so you go beyond the technique.) Dig that little “lick” you’ve been working on! Put it here, put it there! Use that little sucker whenever and wherever you can! Own it!
If you need to “open the book” to refresh you memory as to what those notes or chords were or where they go–You’re renting!– (And that’s ok.) It’s like a word you know exists, but can’t pull out and use in conversation. That’s what dictionaries and sheet music, and music books are for. We are in the information age. So much information is readily available to us. We’re not just talkin’ dictionaries and music books here. You know the rap.
So then; What does “Style” and “Musicality” have to do with limitations? And what does that have to do with owning or renting?Let’s look at it this way—
How many chords do you need to know in order to create great blues music?
Answer; One!–(If you’re John Lee Hooker) (p.s. that is not all he owns.) Why? Cause he can put it into one heck of a deep groove! How? Cause he really, really owns it! So why don’t you write a blues method book all about just one chord?
Cause nobody would buy it.
The simple and “easy’ don’t seem valuable. With so much information around we tend not to value little tidbits, little morsels of information. We don’t grab it, cherish it, swallow it, absorb it and make it ours. We know we can go look it up in that book over there. There is always something more fascinating to move onto. Some info that is really going to do it for us. That special ingredient to create great music.
Bottom line; Have confidence in those few chords, that little rhythm groove, those couple of “high notes”. Put your heart into it and play. Make music with those things you own. Rent the other stuff for now. Take those things that really “melt your butter”. Use what you own to create your style!
Don’t worry about your limitations.
Step past the technique and into music making!
©2007Stan Hirsch