Hi,

This kind of thing has been a problem for a long time, and not just in music and in this case trying to instruct someone about how to play an instrument, instead of helping the "student" get more enthused about the instrument itself.

Likewise, on stage, I ended up directing "new" students, instead of the higher level of acting students in the program, and just before I left it all behind, a professor (he had given me great marks for directing and what I did - he was English ... he understood what I did!) asked me why use the new folks? 

It was an easy answer. The folks in the higher level of the acting program all had hundreds of ideas on how to do anything, and were not very good about listening to a director (specially one that supposedly was a lower level than they were in school), and ended up doing their thing anyway, regardless of what you worked on.

Some of them regretted it ... one show that I worked with a lot of (what I call) "psychic exercises" was a total success and the lead in the play, 2 months later? Was tagged immediately to play IAGO and he stole the show and got an outstanding review when the rest of the production was trashed. Another show, the girl was new and just started the Beginning Acting class. I rehearsed with a lot of fun stuff and improvisation and "interruptions" to make sure they could control their giggles and concentrate on the play and story, and also learn when to stop if the audience applauses and interrupts (happens all the time!) ... and she stole the show ... the same professor asked me how I did all that!

I will never argue for/against the well known greats, and I got to see Andres Segovia break a string in the middle of a piece, not flinch, and switched hand positions somewhere else, and continued playing the piece. When he ended, he quietly asked it if sounded alright. He got an ovation right there. He cried and said thank you! And then continued playing.

The problem, for me, starts just when you THINK that you know something. This is on par with a lot of the writings by PETER BROOK (highly recommended reading for you Dave) and his immense discussions on acting and working the art of the voice ... and how to use it, if only singers EVER learned an inch of that, I imagine that a lot of music would change, but somehow the "ego" associated with a "music degree" has nothing to do with "teaching" a student, and help sell something somewhere!

In time, I imagine that goon will be gone. he obviously does not listen to students, and then expects them to learn something ... try that on your child! You'll lose more often than not! 

Lovely to see you here. Yes, indeed, the work first ... always! Guitar or not ... please don't think Jimi ... you must think DAVESAX ... not Jimi!

I was surprised you did not respond to the other thread on difficult riffs to play ... but it was for me, some of the nuttiest times, in terms of theater, and film, and experimentation. The one film I did was handheld and even though I could not finish it, the professor (USC graduate with a bit of intelligence!) even told the class, that unfinished it was the only piece with a concept and ideas, and great music ... everyone else had done a bit of a living room, house scene, with no story ... I didn't worry about the story, even thought the visuals definitely suggest a relationship between the 2, but in the end, it is the words by Kevin Ayers (with permission) from "Once I Awakened" that did it all ... I simply put a visual to it and cut accordingly, with the girl "disappearing: after he screams "get out of my dream" ... the professor was impressed, but my major illness caused me to miss the finals and he had the film "party" a week later so I could show what I had ... a super 8 film (5 minutes) and the music on a cassette player ... 

The whole thing was based on the visualization of the piece of music, and the far out thing was that the start looked very gothic as it was windy on an early morning in Santa Barbara and the high trees shook well ... the girl appeared in what seemed like a long dress/nightie ... sadly I have not been able to afford and do film ever since, though if I can find a decent camera/video player, I know that something will come up very quickly! 

I film what I see, not what I find in my mind, because translating my mind is often more impossible than you can imagine, and causes a lot of misunderstandings, as if the words weren't right ... but the visuals (which also give me a lot of poetry) never die, and always "live" ... might you try that and see if you can create music off it, guitar or not!

Hi,

I think I read this somewhere in a book about directing, but it gives you a great idea. Peter Brook was in the loo taking the leak like all of us have to, and the actor playing a certain part asked him how he should do his part ... and PB said ... like this ... and pissed over the next 3 or 4 urinals, like he couldn't careless.

Ideas, are not the "ideal" to find what to do ... total off the cuff anything is often the best ... kinda funny sometimes, like Vivian Stanshall doing that crap song, only to tells us in the last line ... I was really full of sh*t!.

You never think that when "creating" something, and perhaps it would be best if one allows the mirror to speak what you already know ... THAT's not good enough! But the hardest part is us being able to take the constructive criticism. Nothing I say here is "personal" or about the material itself, but strictly an attempt at finding "the source" ... which is the only important thing of all ... the choice of "instruments" at that point, is ridiculous to say the least, since you can easily adapt it to anything plus kazoos and bicycle wheels (love PDQ Bach!!!) and give the music a new twist that is hilarious ... not to mention serious since a lot of his shows were done with local folks!!!!! And you would not be able to tell by watching the show.

So, I suppose that I could say ... don't limit yourself to "geetars" .... build one with 17 strings and play it for fun, even out of tune to the regular ear. Don't limit yourself, and simply play the kid in the sandbox or toy store is how I think of acting! And musicians need it more than anything else ... they are so stuck, in general to too much theory everything.

Addon later: I remember that one far out special with Chris Squire ... who ended up changing tunes on several strings at a time, simply to get a different sound ... and he made it work, something that we can not really conceive, given the specs of each instrument being so mechanical and mathematical, and not exactly open to something different. Another that also plays with so many tunings that it makes you wonder where his head is at, is Doug Kershaw ... in a special about him, some guy was showing his a proof of the book about Doug ... and he says ... you can't use that ... so much material you discuss is more about the different tunings, than anything else ... (and the writer would NEVER really know that!) ... so I guess that best thing to say is get off the melody and the easy stuff ... ohh poop the wife just dropped the casserole ... and your music didn't change or factor its "event" ... that's music for you ... out of touch with "reality"! (So to speak!!!!!!!!! Of course!) 

Show us the reality ... not an invisible idea I like to say!