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Re: To those who make a living off of music



Interesting discussion and perspectives, so great to know your opinions.

mark francombe <mark@markfrancombe.com> ha scritto:

> Have to say it... although learning to play music is better "in situ"... 
> while actually playing it, either with friends or with a personal 
> mentor.. gotta be... no denying it...
> ...I don't think anyone should be advising people to "not take an 
> education". 

Mark said exactly what I was thinking about it.

I'm a classical trained pianist.
My mother started educating me when I was 8 years old and I remember how 
difficult it was. When i was able to play piano with both hands I started 
having fun and after a while I quitted my mother's lessons.
 A few years later I asked her for a professional teacher.
At the beginning it was a pain in the ass, because I had to start from the 
beginning, one finger at time....I hate her..
But later - after 2 years of disciplined study - I understood that she was 
correcting some  mistakes I wasn't aware of. From that moment, ALL changed.
I started loved her approach: she opened me a new world and later she 
asked me to play for her my own (simple) compositions...then she asked me 
to listen the music I was listen to: Keith Jarret, Paco  de Lucia, king 
crimson and others...We started to go together to some non accademical 
gigs...what fabolous time I had with her (she was 65 years old and I was 
18-19...)
The story ended a few years later, when I was graduating in law and I had 
to go for the 8* year of classical piano exam..it was too much for me and 
I had to decide 1 path for my life.

I suffered for my decision to quit piano lessons, but today when I talk to 
pro musicians they often tell me they feel like prostitutes, 'cos they 
have to play every kind of music just to survive, while I feel free to 
exprees myself as I like

In those years I studied and loved J.S. Bach and many others classical 
composers, and at the same time I was learning jazz harmonies, playing 
with bands and making music each minute of my spare time (as I still do).

I acquired a big knowledge about music (from pop to avant-gard) and today 
I'm grateful that I got ALL of that, because I had both an accademical 
education and "practice".

I have played with many bands, many different musical genres and sometimes 
(rarely I'd say) I found someone who was very talented and gifted who was 
able to play beautifully without knowing NOTHING about theory, chords and 
harmony. 
But in my experience those guys were an exception (or better: 
exceptionally gifted musicians); the majority of those who played music as 
self-taught musicians had always trouble if they were asked to play 
something they haven't tried before. 
And sometimes I had trouble to make them understand some BASICS building a 
song.

You have to educate your fingers, your mind and your emotions: music 
requires not only taste, but mind too.
As Schönberg wrote, the idea that music is just a matter of ispiration is 
false and I heard the same concept from Paco De Lucia (...do you know what 
I mean ?)

That's why I think accademical studies are so important

That's clearly MY experience. The reality is so wide...I surely don't have 
the truth.

Thanks all for sharing your toughts and experiences

-Fabio 
www.eterogeneo.com