It happened again.

I was asked to get up for a jam recently at friend's party. I always cringe a little in these situations, not because I'm a music snob but because I'm a music lover. Often, noise is the only thing created, and I hate noise. Anyway, the bass player, who had been doing well up 'til then, forgot Golden Rule Number One:

Listen!!

Poor guy... we'd never met, so how was he to know I always play in Dropped-D tuning? I started up a feel in G. For me, in my tuning, a G bass note is on the fifth fret. I'd told him G, but he kept watching my hand instead of just listening. For the next few minutes, unbearable cacaphonic minutes, he was playing bass notes one tone sharp. The look of bewildered terror that had come over his face was heart rending. Everything this guy had learned up 'til then had vanished into thin air. He sure was hearing something awful was going on, but he hadn't started listening yet. He was positive he'd mastered the basics of music, and now this! So he looked even harder. He was trusting his eyes, not his ears. The sweat beads on his forehead were now full blown trickles. Eventually, I was able to convey to him that I'M IN G, FOR CHRIST'S SAKE!!

Ahhhhhhhh!!! You know that feeling when you've been driving on a corrugated gravel road for twenty miles and then you hit the asphalt? That wonderful feeling?

Listen, don't watch, listen.

The other day, I was writing up some quick chord charts for a one off show I was doing that night. The tunes were straight ahead and I was jotting down the changes as I listened. I was holding my guitar to ascertain the key, but I wasn't searching for each chord. I was just listening and hearing the changes. This amazed my girlfriend Clancy. She's a non-player, and she couldn't imagine how I knew which chord was being played without a chart or searching for it on my guitar. It's only because I've listened so much and so hard for so long, that I'm able to do it.

Listen. Trust your ears. I guess it's another reason I never learned to sight read. Reading involves the eyes, but music is for the ears. I put my time into training my ears. I train my eyes on other stuff.

That's it for this week...usual reminders: buy my book, buy my slides, buy my CD.

K i r k

http://www.lorange.kirk.net
http://hammer.prohosting.com/~kirk49/
http://thatllteachyou.com/sgwr.htm
lorange@kirk.net