Idol and Idle Worship

So many players I meet in person and on social media drool over "celebrity" players and bass gods. It is OK, IMHO, to REALLY like a player and to be inspired by him/her. The issue becomes when you base all your effort on playing like them. We don't need Jaco/Wooten/Burton/Miller/Jamerson/Graham/etc. clones...they exist and we are grateful. What we need are players that take from them and make something new and individual. All of these players, and others, are AMAZING talents...but they are not magicians. Everything they do is explainable and doable, to some extent, within your talent base. Take it as such...as an "example problem" to solve...not as some "unattainable goal". You will become a better player for it....

Strive to be YOU....influenced by those you admire..their playing is not an END...it is a beginning...a starting point to becoming the best player YOU can be. Determine the "what" as well as the "how". This will allow you to apply the things you learn from them in other situations. It is all music.

Clarke Terry said it best (parahrasing), "..the 3 levels of musicianship are Imitation, Assimilation and Innovation..." Most players reach the first level and many stay there...the good players reach the second...the REAL monsters reach the third...

Wha level are you at? What level to you want to achieve? How are you going to achieve it?

Lots of luck in the woodshed and on stage. Feel free to message me!!!

#philosophy #practice #improvisation #woodshed