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 Necessity is the mother of invention 
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Post Necessity is the mother of invention
I am playing a private party tomorrow which will require me to play two hours worth of material. This isn't something I do often and knew when I committed to it that I would need to figure out how I was going to fill that much time. So I pulled out many old tunes both original and cover that I rarely play and when I do, they sound fairly mediocre. Funny thing is, now that I've had an excuse to play these tunes pretty much daily in preparation, I'm really enjoying some of them again and they are sounding really nice.

So is there a moral here? Only to say that nothing will light a fire under you faster than committing to a gig you're not ready for. Provided you take the committment seriously, this can be good thing. There's just no substitute for good old fashioned practice.

Glenn

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Fri Feb 08, 2008 8:34 am
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Post Re: Necessity is the mother of invention
This is a great post for me. I started playing my Stick a year ago and I want to give a recital to friends and family in another year. It really has lit a very strong fire under me! I'm even having nightmares about it and it's another year away.

One step at a time...

-Eric

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Sat Feb 09, 2008 7:39 am
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Post Re: Necessity is the mother of invention
I wish I could say i related to this. unfortunately I don't have the luxury of having old rarely played songs. My memory limitations cause me to never let a tune go unplayed for more than a week, if I do I'll lose it. I therefore have my entire repitoire is rotated through my practice routine. This keeps me fresh on the material as well giving me the ability to play gigs when they come. I'm always envious when I hear these type of tales, or how quickly people learn tunes. It takes me a very very long time to learn tunes and I "protect" each one like a sheep herder constantly trying to keep tunes in the fold as they try to slip away to greener pastures.
If I get a gig which I can't cover timewise I always play an extra chorus or two and my fav is to add a few improvisations. This is my favorite way to fill out a gig!!

Brett


Sat Feb 09, 2008 11:16 am
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Post Re: Necessity is the mother of invention
I've been playing solo for a year now. I started out busking, so I was able to work around only having half a dozen "playable" songs to begin with, because you can repeat often on the street. After a few months I started doing gigs and functions, which meant adding material quickly and sometimes making it up as I went along (it's been my policy all along to only play original music, be it "written" or improvised). Anyway, last week I was hired to play an environmental expo for 4 hours straight! While it was a bit of an ordeal, it really helped to highlight both positive and negative aspects of my playing. Longer gigs will definitely test your technique, stamina and repertoire in different ways. For example, I've become aware that D Major is my "lazy" key, so I'm now trying to avoid going there on autopilot!

Cheers,
Andy

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Sun Feb 10, 2008 12:42 am
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Post Re: Necessity is the mother of invention
Brett Bottomley wrote:
I wish I could say i related to this. unfortunately I don't have the luxury of having old rarely played songs. My memory limitations cause me to never let a tune go unplayed for more than a week, if I do I'll lose it. I therefore have my entire repitoire is rotated through my practice routine. This keeps me fresh on the material as well giving me the ability to play gigs when they come. I'm always envious when I hear these type of tales, or how quickly people learn tunes. It takes me a very very long time to learn tunes and I "protect" each one like a sheep herder constantly trying to keep tunes in the fold as they try to slip away to greener pastures.
If I get a gig which I can't cover timewise I always play an extra chorus or two and my fav is to add a few improvisations. This is my favorite way to fill out a gig!!

Brett

I can relate to you here. I played in a big band for over a decade and never memorized anything. I just got good at sight-reading charts. When I started the Stick I realized that I would need to write everything down again since I don't have time to memorize much. That's why I'm working so hard on being able to create StaffTab charts. I need them as my memory storage.

-Eric

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Sun Feb 10, 2008 7:59 am
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Post Re: Necessity is the mother of invention
Oh baby. I've got a good one for this thread. My duo partner and I played a local mall every day for 6-8 HOURS, for the WHOLE MONTH!!! We played all of our duets on the CD, and took turns playing solo pieces. Needless to say, there was a good amount of repetition as we cycled through the set list. As a result, I can say that we're as tight as anyone could possibly be. Also, the adrenaline factor is much lower than ever before and I feel very relaxed playing to big crowds. Nothing beats playing your butt off every day. I love my job.

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Mon Feb 11, 2008 7:14 pm
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Post Re: Necessity is the mother of invention
I thought Frank Zappa was the Mother of Invention?

Stu Meat


Mon Feb 11, 2008 10:56 pm
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Post Re: Necessity is the mother of invention
MarTroiD wrote:
I thought Frank Zappa was the Mother of Invention?

Stu Meat


:lol: :lol:


Tue Feb 12, 2008 2:08 am
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Post Re: Necessity is the mother of invention
MarTroiD wrote:
I thought Frank Zappa was the Mother of Invention?

Stu Meat


Almost had you confused with Stu Pete.

Cheers,
Andy

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Tue Feb 12, 2008 2:33 am
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Post Re: Necessity is the mother of invention
"Stu" is my Uncle's first name. (Refer to "The Legend of Cleetus Allreetus Allrightus and The Grand Wazoo")

Suzy Creamcheese

P.S. Stu Pete is the bass player for the "PopTards"


Tue Feb 12, 2008 9:48 am
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