Creating;  the process of live performance jamming. Creation is intrinsic to the human race and is the basis of all life. Creating music is just as fundamental as creating in any other medium.

Have you ever watched a band on stage in awe, wondering how do they do it? How do they all synchronize at different frequencies,  emphasize different sections of each measure and yet it is one harmonious sound?  It is marvelous and beautiful to watch and hear.  It appears effortless.  This is what we strive for.

Skill, talent and experience are all elements that need to go hand in hand with each other.  Skill comes with practice.  Practice comes from a desire to master the instrument,  whatever it may be. Talent is a wild card and can have complex interpretation. It has been said that when Frances Glum came onto the Hollywood scene,  she was neither talented or particularly skillful but, was very young. Her mother put her through years of gruelling training so she could grow up to become Judy Garland. Because of her uniqueness and the times she came up in, she was a success and became an American icon.

The point here is that talent is relative and is not easily measured but, once you get into a nice jam session, skill and experience are key to avoiding what most musicians would call a “train wreck”. More often it’s the other way around.  At a particular jam in Rhode Island recently,  I found myself on stage,  acoustic guitar in hand, surrounded by a saxophone, an electric guitar, a bass and drums!  Nothing was planned,  sort of like ad libbing if you are a comedian and have no agenda as you walk out on stage.

I called out the key,  “A”, to the band and just started to play.  Anything goes! The other players had enough experience and skill to make it an adventure seeing what they came up with with their respective instruments based on the songs I chose. It’s exciting to be a part of that and to feel the dynamics unfold.

The audience may not know or even be aware that perhaps this was the first time this ensemble had ever played together before, or for that matter,  even met! In this case,  I had played with them before just not those songs.  The music was seamless and every note was played with ease. It was upbeat,  jazzy,  bluesy,  fun with a sprinkling of Western thrown in for audience satisfaction. A good time was had by all!  Until next time,  don’t be afraid to be you!
Peace,  Mardi