In this ongoing series of blog posts,
Kenny Werner answers questions
from Effortless Mastery students.
Get your questions answered
by sending an email
to the address at the end of this blog post.
This question is from Rick,
a member of our Effortless Mastery community.
—
Name:Rick Trankle
I am: an artist
Website: highwayrickey.com youtube/highwayrickey
” I totally get the book and love it. It has changed my life.
What I want to know is how do you deal with the situation of playing with other musicians
who are playing wrong changes or form when you are trying to create a solo or play a head?
So many times I can get derailed by what is going on around me.
It makes what I am playing at the moment sound messy.
Even though yes, everything I play is great :-), how do you recover?
If that is explained in the book, I missed it. Thank you.”
Kenny’s Response to Rick’s Question:
Hi, Rick:
“Everything I play is great” is a state of mind one wants to absorb totally
so that they don’t react to wrong notes thereby getting in deeper trouble.
Of course there are forms and situations where there is a definite right and wrong,
but ironically, one plays more sure-handed and therefore makes less mistakes.
You did misunderstand that [affirmation].
It is an affirmation that becomes truer in ways that can’t be explained
the longer one practices that mindset.
I hope that helps.
Thanks.
Kenny
What do you think?
Were you having any thoughts similiar to Bruce’s?
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Mmmm.
Rick,
You didn’t say if this is a chronic problem with the same group of players or what happens at times with different folks.
The first would require some discussion.
The second is “shit” happens.
I totally sympathize with the frustration or panic that can happen when a tune seems to fall apart. Especially when you have something to say and you’re sooooo ready to say it.
For me, I have to practice the courage to let go of my own expectations, and even harder….when it’s my fault.
Surprise! I’ve gotten more music of these blown notes/form than I could have ever anticipated. You have to really listen and be flexible enough to reconnect with the other players. Sometimes it’s ugly.
Check this out:
There’s a video of Ray Brown playing with some MJQ folks at Montreax Jazz Festival.
Monte Alexander starts the tune alone, and when the rest of the band comes in it sounded like a car crash.Of course I assume I just don’t understand how deep they are and this is how the song goes. Ray Brown gets Monte’s attention and says “Em!” “Em!”
Legends and Icons make mistakes, so I guess we’re in good company!
Kearney
Kenny,
Your answer shed some light on to an observation many years ago and I wonder if this has to do with what you are saying.
I used to watch the great harmonica player Walter Horton live every week in Chicago for a couple of years. The back up musicians in the blues community often were playing conflicting things in these live performances - this was not uncommon to hear back in the early ’80s on the blues scene in Chicago.
One of the many things that impressed me so much about Walter was the way he plowed through what was around him musically. It was so powerful and drew you into him so much that whatever the others around him where playing was not important or detracted from the impression that what Walter was playing was always right or great. In a sense he ws leading and not following.
After reading your answer I was in just such a situation where all the players did not know the form very well. I sensed this right away blasted out the melody effortlessly and confidently and felt great doing it. I feel I pulled that mess together for the audience.
Rick
Kearney,
This certainly is the case at most jam sessions and I understand that. What frustrates me at a jam session is the notion you should not try anything to hard or complicated on the other musicians for fear they will not be able to perform well. But this thought process just drags you mentally down into the hole they are in.
Even players in my own band can phone-in a performance but I have to keep going. During that momment I want to keep my head on straight. So do I plow through and leave them in the dust? Sounds like I should to a degree.
Rick
Hi Kenny, I read your book 2 years ago and I was feeling much better for a while, but then I stopped doing the meditation exercicies and now it looks like I found it harder to go back to that state….
Anyway, I’ve been having this cronic problem in my back and arms…
And I think is related to the chapter in your book “mastering the body”
I think I play while holding tensions in part of my body that don’t need to be tense. And that tension is the result of my basic relationship to playing a pattern or: struggle.
You also mention in this chapter….”If you allow your body to learn without interference from your mind it will learn what it needs to perform the part….
But I don’t know how can I do that??? How can I allow my body to learn without interference from my mind????
And specially when I’m learning new material??? When I practise?? My mind needs to be thinking to learn new material??
I have a cronic problem on my back and arms…I’ve been having for years..???
I can’t carry on like that!!
CAn you help me???
Thanks
Diego