Re: Musicianship, live technique, etc...

[matthias@bahianet.com.br (Matthias Grob)]

David said:
>These are great questions that any improvisor has to face, and the 
>problems
>are made worse by the dense and often static nature of looping music.

For me, the loop was the popularizer of my music. Its still not exactly
comercial, but repetition makes it easy to digest.
When I play without loop nothing ever repeats. I keep changing and
traveling through harmonies and rythms... its a special style, which only
makes sense, if the listener is following closely or not paying atention at
all, while the loop lets people wave into the wave..


I liked Davids exercises and would like to add one:

1. Start with an idiot simple rule like playing over just one cord without
rythm and try doing it beautifull. Thats not easy.
Do not critisize the simplicity but love the sound.

2. When you feel realy well and synced with the partner, slowly let go and
play other harmonies and start rhythms, never pushing it, so you continue
feeling fine (never mind some passing disharmony). After a (long) while you
note that you play complex things you thought you could only play together
with previous planing.

Doing this frequently you end up having the toolbox, the licks, the camp of
possibilities David is writing about, without beeing conscious of it.
On stage you play fine, thinking that ist all new (which passes a fresh
feeling to the public!), while really you just move around in the camp you
determined by all the previous sessions (and extend it a little!).

Just ideas
Matthias