If you could rewind the time... What would you change?

[Coker]

Well, it seems like the sax and guitar players got all the dates!

[mcgoo]

I'd listen to (a little) less Wakeman and a LOT more Corea. My mostly diatonic brain could've used a lot more stretching. 

[kpl1228]

I'd buy Tom Oberheim a drink and explain to him all of the future reasons not to sell to Gibson.

Then we'd have some more drinks and then go egg Uli Behringer's house.

[16251]

I first used a reel-to-reel to slow down solos for transcribing, then it was cassette with the  Marantz, which was a huge step up. The first computer app I had was the Amazing Slo-Downer and now I use Anytune Pro+. Apps changed everything cause they keep pitch (another huge step forward.)

 

I wish I had all the learning tools I have today to make the tedious work of hearing and learning music. Besides the ability to slow down, having all real books on iPad, all the play along apps, YouTube, etc.

 

This leads to my second wish, taking more seriously the importance of transcribing (whatever music you are into.)

[PianoMan51]

Turning 73 this year. After coming back from Covid I made some changes to my musical projects. 

 

But I made one vow, to religiously follow Jaco’s advice to his bassist students… (I paraphrase)

 

“Learn the song. Inside and out. Be able to play the melody, the chords. Memorize the form completely.”

 

I realize that I tended (and tend) to push myself over that learning hump until I can I can play the song well enough to satisfy myself. But once I got there I rarely went back. Never Relistened. Relearned. Rethought. 
 

I have a set of big band gigs coming up. Consider the ‘old me’ method of getting good at playing the piano chart in front of me. The ‘new me method’ means learning each song as a song. Melody, harmony, structure. Then memorizing the whole chart. Where everybody else plays. Then listening to recordings to hear how the real cats solved the puzzle that each arrangement posed. And then at the performance being ready to make it my own. 
 

I know I made this seem onerous. But for each one of you who winces when Mustang Sally is mentioned, go back and listen to the original. I personally would be very happy to present something as hip yet simple to an audience.

[nursers]

Lessons, lessons and more lessons. With a teacher who gets playing live rock / jazz / pop

[Synthaholic]

For me it's not about playing as much as exercise, proper posture, and other self-help to counter decades of playing while standing for 5 or 6 sets a night, 5 or 6 nights a week. I did none of it, and it has taken its toll in my hips, my back, my right shoulder, my neck. 

[AROIOS]

Study subtractive synthesis and audio mixing for a month, instead of GASing for three decades.

[Delaware Dave]

At one time I wished I never sold my vintage instruments (D6, Wurli, Rhodes, CP70 and B3/leslie). I purchased another B3/leslie years ago but never repurchased the others.  Hindsight now being 20/20 I'm glad I didnt; I'd never keep up the maintenance/tuning, they're heavy and large.  With the digital emulations that Crumar/GSI has come out with I really dont miss them since I get the vibe with the right keyboard controllers ....

[Jose EB5AGV]

Thank you all for your contributions. I think some of the lessons I could get is to work more on technique and general piano playing and sheet music reading, keep playing on a band, even if the other musos level is lots better than mine, learn to use the instruments I have instead of succumbing to GAS..and, overseeing all of these, enjoy the process!

[jerrythek]

On 12/23/2023 at 8:43 PM, PianoMan51 said:

Turning 73 this year. After coming back from Covid I made some changes to my musical projects. 

 

But I made one vow, to religiously follow Jaco’s advice to his bassist students… (I paraphrase)

 

“Learn the song. Inside and out. Be able to play the melody, the chords. Memorize the form completely.”

 

I realize that I tended (and tend) to push myself over that learning hump until I can I can play the song well enough to satisfy myself. But once I got there I rarely went back. Never Relistened. Relearned. Rethought. 
 

I have a set of big band gigs coming up. Consider the ‘old me’ method of getting good at playing the piano chart in front of me. The ‘new me method’ means learning each song as a song. Melody, harmony, structure. Then memorizing the whole chart. Where everybody else plays. Then listening to recordings to hear how the real cats solved the puzzle that each arrangement posed. And then at the performance being ready to make it my own. 
 

I know I made this seem onerous. But for each one of you who winces when Mustang Sally is mentioned, go back and listen to the original. I personally would be very happy to present something as hip yet simple to an audience.

Wise words. 

[AROIOS]

On 12/23/2023 at 5:43 PM, PianoMan51 said:

...

I know I made this seem onerous. But for each one of you who winces when Mustang Sally is mentioned, go back and listen to the original. I personally would be very happy to present something as hip yet simple to an audience.

Those who wince at Mustang Sally will have a hard time producing anything dope.
 

Both Hall & Oates and Mick Hucknall found gold in that groove.
 

 

 

[AROIOS]

8 hours ago, AROIOS said:

Those who wince at Mustang Sally will have a hard time producing anything dope.
 

Both Hall & Oates and Mick Hucknall found gold in that groove.

Speaking of the Mustang Sally groove, Bruce Springsteen's song makes for a perfect mashup and great fit for the occasion.

[Lou_NC]

I wouldn't change a thing about my brief musical "education" (learning to play "keyboards" by taking lessons on a Wurlitzer spinet organ in my parent's living room).

 

However, my first organ *purchase* would have been considerably different.............In hindsight, I would have borrowed the $500 in 1981 to be able to buy the used Hammond B3/122 combo I looked at for $1700, rather than buying the used Farfisa Professional Duo for $1200.  🙂 What a dope I was.........

 

Lou

[JohnH]

I would get a metronome. Although I was doing cover band gigs for four years and playing a long time before that, when I got in a cover band gig on ships my timing was not good! It did get better later as I got into making my own sequences, but has really only gotten a lot better in past 10-12 years as I use metronome apps alot. I still rush sometimes, but, at least I can now count. I started doing drumming stuff in the gym in the late 90's until 2023 , that was a huge help for counting.