Warning: this article contains a message that will make you feel good!
"You can dance, you can dance, everyone look at your hands!"- immortal words from Men Without Hats' Safety Dance. so...
Everyone look at your hands... go ahead, it's OK. What can you do with your hands and your Stick (tm) that legendary jazz players like Charlie Parker, John Coltrane or Miles Davis could not? PLAY CHORDS! Yes, true they could play so fast and "suggest" chords, but no polyphony for you!
What can you do with your hands and your Stick (tm) that legendary guitar players like Jimi Hendrix, Barney Kessel, Ritchie Blackmore, John Petrucci can't do? Play more than 6 (or 7) notes all at the same time.
What can you do with your hands and your Stick(tm) that Stanley Clarke, Michael Manring, or Mark King (Level 42) could not do? Play more than 4 (or 5 or 6) notes all at the same time. Enough parallelism, and lexicon motifs, you get it! that's right even if you karate chop ( not recommended) or lightly flat palm straight across your 10 string or 12 string grand you will have a most righteous harmonious chord and sound very hip!
You probably never realized, no matter what level you are, you have this built in edge over some of the greatest players that wailed on this earth right under your finger tips. Now, here's an easy tip to make your arrangements or comping sound unique. OPEN VOICINGS- real simple, just take the middle note of your chord, say it is G voiced d,g,b - take the g and use the "two fret octave" shape and move the g to the next string following the b, so it would be d, (skip a string), b then g. add some chorus and echo and some verrrrryy slow moving bass lines, and I'll see your CD in the New Age aisle!
What will you do with your hands ( and talent and vision) in the new year? Hopefully we will all be reading about how you played your latest gig, or how you figured out that song you always loved and played on your former instrument, maybe even see a YouTube video of your progress. The future is open wide. ( Ok enough 80's references) [I Melt with You- Modern English- just so you don't have to look it up or have it drive you crazy- Ed. note]
"Christmas day is in our grasp
So long as we have hands to clasp …
Christmas day will always be
Just so long as we have we" - Dr. Suess, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.
Be happy with what you have- your hands!
Happy Holidays everybody, and All the Best for the New Year!
Dave Brosky