What about my pick? When do I pick up or down?
I’ve had chops for a very long time. I had McLaughlin type chops since I was 17, if by chops you mean the ability to play very, very fast. Yeah. But because that was not an issue for me, being able to play MUSICALLY was more important. PHRASING and using dynamics, which is something most of us guitar players don’t spend a lot of time with. …
The Art of Improvisation 3
I have a further theory. I see three things as coming into play with learning and playing music. Three primary elements of any art: a triangle of Emotion, Aesthetics and Technique. These are three points of view of art. Some music only has one point of view, or is primarily concerned with one, at the expense of the other two. …
The Art of Improvisation 2
There are two fundamental concerns when creating or improvising. The first is having something to say. The next is having the guts to say it. Actually those are in reverse order, until you get over the guts part. The hardest thing for the novice improviser, generally, is to trust him or herself enough to jump in. …
The Art of Improvisation I
Improvisation is the art of making things up as you go. But things don’t come from nowhere. I think of having a pool or repository of data, or information, kept in an inner vault. These data are impressions that we can use as tools or inspiration or ideas to spur us on with the business of being creative. …
