Loopers-Delight-d Digest V97 #9

["Jason N. Joseph" <73311.213@compuserve.com>]

Message text written by INTERNET:Loopers-Delight-d-request@annihilist.com
>I don't think 
technique is a trap within itself or a trade off from creativity. 
I know what you mean by relying on stock licks or riffs being  a trap, 
 but I believe to express yourself as a musician you need to practice
technique 
and develop skill. Only when you have mastered your instrument
can you play from your inspiration.<

I'm going to *completely* disagree with you here... I think this varies 
person by person. I look back to the music I wrote (& recorded on first
album) way back when I first picked up the guitar and made a
variety of very intentional efforts NOT to learn it in the *established*
manner -- which I found in other instruments I had learned to be VERY 
confining. I was listening to a lot of Indian classical music at the time, 
and thus had a much different approach to tuning and technique, which 
resulted in some compositions which, although possibly naive,
had a kind of purity and creativity to them that I *cannot* regain.
Over the last however many years I have become a much 
better guitar player, but my compositions particularly for acoustic
guitar have as a result become more and more conventional
to my ears. Sometimes I yearn for the days when I knew 
virtually *nothing* about the guitar and randomly abused the
instrument to make beautiful noise.

This is just *my* experience. I don't want us to get into some 
kind of useless "technique vs. creativity" argument (which in of
itself is the wrong conceptualization of the issue), particularly
since we all lie at different points along that continuum.

jj

P.S. Hey, all of you, please accept my warmest thanks for your
thoughts on all of these issues. I personally love to philosophize
anyway, but especially when it's a topic that's either close to my
heart or is troubling me in some way. Your thoughts have been
both helpful and inspirational. I feel like I'm "home". Hugs to
you all.