Why perform for others?

ShiroKuro · 2024-12-05T12:12:47+00:00

Yesterday was my first lesson with my piano teacher after playing the concert during Thanksgiving week. We ended up having a sort of philosophical discussion...

Bellyman

Simonb, you might have shared that video before, but I enjoyed it more this time!

A Night in Tunisia is one of the tunes that I saw in the Real Book that never seemed to make much sense to me... until they got it out at Jazz Jam one night. I'm not a good enough reader to just pick it up and run with it like I've been playin' it for 20 years so I struggled a bit. But since, I've heard several people take it apart and go over just what it is which isn't nearly as complicated as what Dizzy Gillespie or Charlie Parker make it sound when I listen to them. And now, it makes a lot more sense to me, not just "noise" anymore. It's changed from a tune I didn't really care much for to now, a snappy little tune.

Yup, I can see you havin' fun! 😃 The ol' leg gets involved. LOL!! Thankfully, it's only one at a time. LOL!! (I find myself doin' the leg thing from time to time, too, but don't always find it helpful, sometimes it'll be distracting. Funny how that works.)

Bellyman

ShiroKuro So step 2 is playing for others, and step 3 is playing with others?

That's interesting because I would put it in the reverse order. Step 1 is playing alone, step 2 is playing with others, step 3 is playing for others (whether you're playing on your own or with others in that step 3 part).

You're not wrong. If that's the logical progression for you, that's great!

I'm thinking in particular of a song most would probably recognize. "Linus and Lucy". It's a popular tune heard around Christmas time made famous by "Charlie Brown Christmas", the cartoon. It is deceptive. It sounds quite simple. And it's not awfully difficult to play fairly decently solo. You (not you specifically, but perhaps (m)any of us) could probably play it nearly perfectly solo and most people would think you did a splendid job. But... add in a drummer and maybe a bass player and the game changes considerably. Timing is quite tricky. Question is, can you play it WITH them? Takes it to a whole new level.

That's where my mind was going when I ordered things as I did. It may be 100% different for someone else. And maybe some of you are at a level where Linus and Lucy is primitive and easy, any day, with any competent drummer. My hat is off to you if that's you. Didn't say I can't, but at least for me, it's not as easy as fallin' off a log.

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