Emotion, expression, blah blah blah

[Crow]

Did George Martin say how many takes it took Paul to nail his parts? So many of them sound like, "First thought, best thought."

[dhodge]

In the interviews I read (and these were ages ago) the number of takes wasn't mentioned. But even if it was one take, you know that it wasn't first listen. When you've got most of the song played over and over before you, that gives you a lot of time to work things out in your head and if you're playing your lines in your head over and over again, you can usually make that come out on your instrument.

I've heard interviews where McCartney would be arranging songs with other musicians and he would sing the parts of various instruments to the players to give them a basic idea of what he wanted. So the skill to hear a bass line (or that of any instrument) in his head and replicate it in some fashion is definitely there.

Peace

[Crow]

...the skill to hear a bass line (or that of any instrument) in his head and replicate it in some fashion is definitely there.

Also the skill to perform the part like it's just being born. That's what moves me about McCartney's bass lines. But were they REALLY that spontaneous? Who knows? Does it matter?

[Cat]

I don't see that it matters, Crow Man. Ultimately, it's what you walk away satisfied with that's of any importance, really. All sorts of reasons blow my own studio takes...tuning and mistakes being the least of them. I need to be satisfied I've gotten every ounce of the emotion gets "down & dirty". There've been heaps of times where I was unsettled and just wiped out everything...maybe $10K worth of session payouts...because it wasn't good enough to satisfy me as opposed to anyone else. Hey, what else can ya do 'cept get it right, huh?

Cat

[Niklas]

I found the book Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks the other day and picked it up. He writes about the psychology of music and how it relates to the human brain. I have yet to read it, but it sounds very interesting. A section is dedicated by the man who is struck by lightning and then is obsessed which music by Chopin.

I'll read through it and give it a review. I strongly believe music affects human emotion directly. To be honest, I wouldn't be listening to music if it didn't. I wouldn't see (hear) the point.

[Niklas]

"Q : What do you think about those who go to school to learn how to play guitar?

NEIL YOUNG : It would give you a rather sad view of your future, wouldn't it? First off, nobody cares if you know how to play scales. Nobody cares if you have good technique or not. It's whether you have feelings that you want to express with music, that's what counts, really. When you are able to express yourself and feel good, then you know why you're playing. The technical aspect is absolute hogwash as far as I'm concerned. It bores me to tears. I can't play fast. I don't even know my scales. I know that most of the notes I play aren't where I play them. They're simply not there. So you can play any note you like. I think about it on another level, I don't care about that stuff. On the other hand, I appreciate really great guitarists, and I'm very impressed by those metal groups with their scale guitarists. When I see that, I go "that's really something." Satriani and Eddie Van Halen are guitar geniuses. They are incredible musicians, at an amazing level. But it does't really grab me. One note will do."

I think this sums it up very good. I think Neil Young is the best expressive guitarist out there, so I really value his opinion. Since I stopped guitar lessons four years ago I'm much more expressive in my playing. Still, it was needed for timing issues and pitch training which I needed badly. I mostly played classical guitar and then a teacher really is needed though.

[Cat]

It's whether you have feelings that you want to express with music, that's what counts, really. When you are able to express yourself and feel good, then you know why you're playing.

Yep...

Cat

[Crow]

Neil Young is the best ever. I have seen him perform live more than I have seen any other musician. Saw him with Crazy Horse -- he made them stop the intro to "Cinnamon Girl" & start over. Saw him with the Shocking Pinks. Saw the "road-eyes" move the giant amps around. Saw him with CSN. He always plays with fire and drama and intensity. And he's been saying that kind of stuff for decades. Young prefers somebody who plays with fire & drama & intensity AND MAYBE MISS SOME NOTES than somebody who plays with bland, letter-perfect mediocrity. So would I. He likes players who lose themselves in the music so totally that they drool on their guitars. So do I.

If Neil Young thinks he's expressing his feelings in music, that's all right with me.

[Vic Lewis VL]

Neil Young is the best ever. I have seen him perform live more than I have seen any other musician. Saw him with Crazy Horse -- he made them stop the intro to "Cinnamon Girl" & start over. Saw him with the Shocking Pinks. Saw the "road-eyes" move the giant amps around. Saw him with CSN. He always plays with fire and drama and intensity. And he's been saying that kind of stuff for decades. Young prefers somebody who plays with fire & drama & intensity AND MAYBE MISS SOME NOTES than somebody who plays with bland, letter-perfect mediocrity. So would I. He likes players who lose themselves in the music so totally that they drool on their guitars. So do I.

If Neil Young thinks he's expressing his feelings in music, that's all right with me.

Amen to that....and a huge HALLELUJAH!



Vic