I consider performance a key part of being an all around musical artist. You can’t know what works musically without a response from a live audience. Sometimes a song may need a tweak such as a change in lyrics, change in order of verses, an addition of a bridge and so on. Playing the same songs out frequently improves them. Your approach to them gets familiar and so you sound more confident as a singer and as a player. Just as an ensemble can gel after repeated live performances, a solo artist can improve both the voice and accompaniment. I recently started recording some songs at a good friend’s home studio where he likes to record with minimal overdubs. Going for a more live sound in the studio can be beneficial to overall feel and timing. I found that my vocals, performed live while I was performing the guitar parts, were good enough to leave as the final lead vocal performance. That wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t been performing out with increasing frequency recently.
Another benefit to performing is the general creative energy boost it can give you. When I played my first open mike a few years ago, I was so excited afterwards that the very next day I wrote a song. Once I was preparing for a gig where I was supposed to play some Beatle songs. In the middle of listening to a bunch of Lennon/McCartney numbers as well as learning a few, I picked up my guitar and began playing a progression that I had been fooling around with for a year or two. Within minutes I had written three verses that nailed the whole idea of what the Beatles meant to me. It turned out to be a great song. If I hadn’t had the goal of a gig, I wouldn’t have let myself be open to these influences, which indirectly produced a song. BTW, I didn’t get the gig, but the new song was enough recompense!
2 comments:
It's a freshening breeze when some
one with talent speaks about the
creative process & expresses it
cogently."Is a correct judgment of
Art possible?"NO.Remember Socrates'
dictum:"You can never know me&I can
never know you."The real feeling or
motive entering into the creation
of any work of art lies in the
artist himself & can never be communicated in full. People judge
differently because artcommunicates
differently to them.To respond to
the artist's feelings or message
requires empathy, the ability to
put yourself "en rapport" with the
artist. That is why it is such a
great boon to the performer when
his audience really, really listens
Remember Ravi at the Concert for
Bangladesh ? : " I know you are all
waiting to hear your favorite stars
but the Indian music portion of the
program takes a little concentrated
listening" I am sure that if you
listen quietly attentive to the
music of Joe Shade it will haunt
you pleasantly later and perhaps
even transport you to a place where
you feel free,as Billy Bragg put it
Good Tao to you Joe.(from MOBOB)
Thanks Bob.
For the unitiated, MOBOB is an old friend whose words and deeds I have appreciated since our days spent together after high school. Though we don't see each other as much as we once did, we have managed to maintain our friendship over the years through the process of letter writing and the occasional visit. Now it seems we've graduated to an electronic form of communication Bob can share his thoughts with planet-wide.
We'll still do the snail mail thing though.
Post a Comment