Right Brain thinking and Embracing Risk of Failure

Started by Elantric, November 12, 2013, 10:21:48 AM

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Elantric

I was going to post this in my Blog thread
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=6125.0

But decided to make this a separate thread for open discussion.

I wanted to share my own philosophy on Music that agrees with Dave Grohl's statement below:




But I also wanted to add that in this rule dominated Left Brain world,  I find any form of non verbal artistic expression (like playing Improvisational Music) cultivates your Right Brain activity and improves your life in many ways.
This recent ad campaign has some good visual representations of Left vs right brain thinking
http://www.ibelieveinadv.com/2011/02/mercedes-benz-left-brain-right-brain/



Many new guitarists get trapped in a structured course of guitar study, only to quit after 6 weeks because they could never connect the dots, and figure "I'll never be any good - so i give up".

I was fortunate to have parents who allowed me to explore on my own at my own pace and learn by trial and error

BTW - In the context of exploring Guitar Solo Improvisation, I embrace Failure and Error on a daily basis! (Examining my Failure is my best Teacher!)

In essence if your "Fear of Failure" is set too high, you may find yourself trapped and never make an Attempt at Anything, due to fear of ridicule.  It becomes even worse today as  social networking maintains a permanent record of all your past attempts, accomplishments and failures

I highly recommend this book
A Complete and Utter Failure: A Celebration of Also-Rans, Runners-Up, Never-Weres & Total Flops
by Neil Steinberg
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Utter-Failure-Celebration-Never-Weres/dp/0385479700


So you've got these fond hopes for blissful love,  professional glory, fame, and fortune. But in the  back of your mind there's that nagging fear. The  man of your dreams will laugh in your face. Your  hated office rival will come up with some whizbang  marketing idea and get promoted, while you'll be  asked to "help out with the phones."  Steven Spielberg will buy the rights to your  screenplay, spend $40 million producing it, and the critics  will savage the film, mercilessly singling out  your work for especially contemptuous, poisonous  derision. But hey, everybody fails sometime. It's  inevitable. So don't fear failure.  Embrace it..

I recall one story in the book about Kerem Abdul Jabbar.  When asked  "What does it feel like being  the all-time record holder for most points (38,387) in NBA Basketball?",

(I'll paraphrase, but the quote went something like this)

Kerem replied: Realize for each time I successfully make a basketball go through the hoop, I've already made 6 prior attempts that failed, so I must live knowing I really only have a success rate of  16%. Most folks get fired if they fail 84% of the time! However, my single biggest asset during the game is I'm constantly looking for every new opportunity that allows me to make another ATTEMPT at shooting that hoop!       


Back to my main point - its perfectly OK for you to "play the guitar badly" because what you are actually doing is participating in "non-verbal" expression. The more time you practice attempting to play beyond your current skill level, eventually you WILL improve and one day your  "non-verbal expression" evolves into " "non-verbal Communication" as you learn to play what you hear in your head with command of your instrument that can directly impact the soul and spirit of those who hear you play.

And back to the left  / right brain concept, - adjust your schedule to find equal time for both sides of your brain: balance is the key.
If you have been appointed to be the one who is  always regimented, focusing all your time with left brain activities, you may wonder "what happened to my music ?" If every waking moment you reject your right brain intuition and fleeting thoughts, ultimately you are building a wall between you and your musical muse who may be trying to plant THE killer new riff in your ear, but since you never properly documented her prior 10,000 attempts - she will run off to greener pastures and more fertile soil. Its painful when you hear a new song on the radio that you swear you had heard the exact same riff in your own head, 8 years before  - but you forgot to record it.         



Toby Krebs

Sage advice from Dave Grohl. I hope every teenager in America reads that. Simon Cowell foisted a bunch of calculated Madison Ave. marketeer crap on the American public and now it has become some kind of standard that we judge music and musicians by. I will play several gigs this week and I will take chances and I will f$#k up and I will fall even more in love with playing and especially improvising on the guitar. John Coltrane would tell the judges on American Idol to go to hell.

Elantric

#3

Frank Zappa talks about Lead Guitar at live shows










QuoteSage advice from Dave Grohl. I hope every teenager in America reads that. Simon Cowell foisted a bunch of calculated Madison Ave. marketeer crap on the American public and now it has become some kind of standard that we judge music and musicians by.

People forget The Beatles were turned down by many major record companies at the time  - Capitol Records in USA deferred their earliest EMI UK recordings to the smaller Vee-Jay Label.

Myself I  long ago rejected the idea that major media outlets and distribution networks held any regard for distributing music that matters to me. 

Toby Krebs

#4
Quote from: Elantric on November 12, 2013, 10:21:48 AM
I was going to post this in my Blog thread
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=6125.0

But decided to make this a separate thread for open discussion.

I wanted to share my own philosophy on Music that agrees with Dave Grohl's statement below:




But I also wanted to add that in this rule dominated Left Brain world,  I find any form of non verbal artistic expression (like playing Improvisational Music) cultivates your Right Brain activity and improves your life in many ways.
This recent ad campaign has some good visual representations of Left vs right brain thinking
http://www.ibelieveinadv.com/2011/02/mercedes-benz-left-brain-right-brain/



Many new guitarists get trapped in a structured course of guitar study, only to quit after 6 weeks because they could never connect the dots, and figure "I'll never be any good - so i give up".

I was fortunate to have parents who allowed me to explore on my own at my own pace and learn by trial and error

BTW - In the context of exploring Guitar Solo Improvisation, I embrace Failure and Error on a daily basis! (Examining my Failure is my best Teacher!)

In essence if your "Fear of Failure" is set too high, you may find yourself trapped and never make an Attempt at Anything, due to fear of ridicule.  It becomes even worse today as  social networking maintains a permanent record of all your past attempts, accomplishments and failures

I highly recommend this book
A Complete and Utter Failure: A Celebration of Also-Rans, Runners-Up, Never-Weres & Total Flops
by Neil Steinberg
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Utter-Failure-Celebration-Never-Weres/dp/0385479700


So you've got these fond hopes for blissful love,  professional glory, fame, and fortune. But in the  back of your mind there's that nagging fear. The  man of your dreams will laugh in your face. Your  hated office rival will come up with some whizbang  marketing idea and get promoted, while you'll be  asked to "help out with the phones."  Steven Spielberg will buy the rights to your  screenplay, spend $40 million producing it, and the critics  will savage the film, mercilessly singling out  your work for especially contemptuous, poisonous  derision. But hey, everybody fails sometime. It's  inevitable. So don't fear failure.  Embrace it..

I recall one story in the book about Kerem Abdul Jabbar.  When asked  "What does it feel like being  the all-time record holder for most points (38,387) in NBA Basketball?",

(I'll paraphrase, but the quote went something like this)

Kerem replied: Realize for each time I successfully make a basketball go through the hoop, I've already made 6 prior attempts that failed, so I must live knowing I really only have a success rate of  16%. Most folks get fired if they fail 84% of the time! However, my single biggest asset during the game is I'm constantly looking for every new opportunity that allows me to make another ATTEMPT at shooting that hoop!       


Back to my main point - its perfectly OK for you to "play the guitar badly" because what you are actually doing is participating in "non-verbal" expression. The more time you practice attempting to play beyond your current skill level, eventually you WILL improve and one day your  "non-verbal expression" evolves into " "non-verbal Communication" as you learn to play what you hear in your head with command of your instrument that can directly impact the soul and spirit of those who hear you play.

And back to the left  / right brain concept, - adjust your schedule to find equal time for both sides of your brain: balance is the key.
If you have been appointed to be the one who is  always regimented, focusing all your time with left brain activities, you may wonder "what happened to my music ?" If every waking moment you reject your right brain intuition and fleeting thoughts, ultimately you are building a wall between you and your musical muse who may be trying to plant THE killer new riff in your ear, but since you never properly documented her prior 10,000 attempts - she will run off to greener pastures and more fertile soil. Its painful when you hear a new song on the radio that you swear you had heard the exact same riff in your own head, 8 years before  - but you forgot to record it.   


 

Kareem Rules! GO LAKERS!!!   

pasha811

Elantric,

I really liked what you post and I think exactly the same.
Being an Artist is about what you have inside not about pushing to be a 'product' of some Business TV Show.
However everybody in this 2013 age, so far from mine, wants to take the fast lane, be famous, rich and acclaimed overnight.
We have that kind of shows running here in Italy as well and I have to say that sometimes they really discover some
new talent but they stay on the top for a very limited time.  Practicing, sweating on your strings is not rewarded anymore.
Having said so I can say that I am still happy and smile when I see younger bands walking down the road to reach a studio
nearby where they make their own music and dream of being a great band in the future. Like I did, like everybody did.
Unapologetically those were the best times of my life! The magic that's there when you play with someone is something
no TV Show can artificially create. Especially when a VG99 is nearby and plugged!  ;D

Cheers
Pasha
Listen to my music at :  http://alonetone.com/pasha/

Elantric

#6
QuotePracticing, sweating on your strings is not rewarded anymore.
Having said so I can say that I am still happy and smile when I see younger bands walking down the road to reach a studio
nearby where they make their own music and dream of being a great band in the future. Like I did, like everybody did.
Unappologetically those were the best times of my life! The magic that's there when you play with someone is something
no TV Show can artificially create.


I can see that  - If i was a teenager today in this Instant Internet World and just starting to want to play guitar, yes there are way too many distractions.

When I was 15 (1970) my family was transferred away from California to Ohio where we resided on an island in Lake Erie. The only TV was obtained from Toledo , Detroit or Cleveland and it took 2 minutes for the TV Antenna rotor to rotate the large roof antenna to the direction of the station - so "channel flipping" was impossible. I played guitar alone 4 hours a day for a solid year, trying to get the sounds i heard on Creedence Clearwater and Led Zeppelin  Records. It was not until I moved to Chicago a year later I discovered EB Slinky Strings and String Bending for Clapton Blues Breakers tones. my point is I cursed it at the time, but in hindsight the isolation made me a better guitar player - i believe we call this "woodshedding"

YEs - there are too many distractions today.     

whippinpost91850

Elantric, Can't agree enough with you. Like you as, a kid I would sit an just play for hours and hours. I don't think anything can surpass just spending that kind of time with your instrument

aliensporebomb

Fascinating discussion.

At one point when I was younger I recall a night  after a solid 8 hour day of practice (I was unemployed at the time).  My friend showed up with a date and said hello while I was practicing (they were going to drop her car off at my place so they could go on their date, meanwhile I practiced).  Then I had a brief dinner, went back to practicing.  They were on their date and didn't return until almost midnight and I was still practicing. 

They showed up to say hello and that they were going to take her car out of the driveway so I wouldn't wonder what was up and I was still practicing.  Then when they talked in front of their cars for a while before heading out I was still practicing.  I think I ended up playing until around two in the morning, well after they left.   So I played from about 8 a.m. until 2 a.m. the following day and that whole summer of 1986 and 1987 my playing got  exponentially better than it ever had been before because I was doing little else but practicing.

Didn't do much for my social life but I wish I had the tools we have today with youtube and online study guides, I could have gotten better using those tools, I was doing self-study from books because I didn't have $ for lessons.
My music projects online at http://www.aliensporebomb.com/

GK Devices:  Roland VG-99, Boss GP-10, Boss SY-1000.

Hog Mouth

This site is amazing! When I purchased the VG-99 I had no idea it would lead to such an amazing source of knowledge. I have purchased tube amps, guitars, various stompbox pedals, DIY pedals etc. and nothing has been this comprehensive.

QuoteYEs - there are too many distractions today.

I spent the last decade trying to purge myself of these distractions; especially the flesh and the value it seems to hold. I do alright until some filth pops up throughout the course of modern living. I reformatted my hard drive about 2 months ago and a few days later I wanted to check something on youtube and some flesh ad pops up. There are ways to control that, but that takes time, time I should be WOODSHEDDING!

My trouble is that I can not currently play the music that I hear inside.

"It's a lot easier to be technical than it is stylized; it really is... But I think it's a lot more rare to have someone who's really got their own sound because that's something you can't practice." -MARTY FRIEDMAN

"...they'll become Nirvana."
    this part bothers me because I'm not sure I share that same goal. What about the musicians who wish to learn the variety of styles(Country, Jazz, Blues, Rock, Funk, Classical, Folk, Metal (and all their sub-genres)) and chops associated with a variety cover band, where the ability to faithfully reproduce the music is surely appreciated?








Elantric

Myself, I view performing on an instrument as non verbal communication that everyone should pursue - including non musicians!  If you sound bad, use headphones - but dont stop.

eventually goals change , and everyone has different motives.
Some view playing Guitar as recreation, rather like a yoga Class.

Others want to play live and entertain for friends

Others want to turn pro, are doing it for the money, others are in it to convey their message.

   

supernicd

Great topic.  I'm not deeply into this science but did some reading about a technology called neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) some years ago, and it had some good take aways.

One of its "presuppositions" is that there is no such thing as failure, only feedback. Or in other words, if you attempt to do something and are not satisfied with the result, you did not fail, but instead received feedback about what you might do differently in order to make the response more satisfactory next time.

I think this has some parallels and application in playing the guitar or any instrument. The feedback may come from your ears.  Or it may come from the reactions and responses of someone who is watching/listening to you play. Maybe someone in the audience or another musician you're collaborinting with.

When that feedback happens to be negative, if you view it as a failure, you might be inclined to feel fear, draw inward, avoid "making that mistake" again. If you view a negative response as feedback then it becomes an opportunity to make adjustments next time.

And of course you also received feedback about how to recreate a negative response which is not usually what you want but might come in handy from time to time.  :)
Strat w/ GK-3, Godin LGXT
VG-99, GR-55, GP-10
---------------------------------------------------------------

admin

SuperNiCd - thanks for posting -  You made many excellent points - should rename the thread "Embracing Failure Feedback"

FreeTime

#13
It amazes me that I can play the same riff fresh out of my head for many tens of minutes without getting tired of it, sometimes trying different permutations, often even the 'mistakes' end up finding their place, surprising me in a good way. There is nothing else I can think of that I do that I can obsess about to that degree.

As far as embracing failure goes, its tough to embrace, but I do accept it.

Toby Krebs

Quote from: Hog Mouth on November 15, 2013, 12:26:15 PM
This site is amazing! When I purchased the VG-99 I had no idea it would lead to such an amazing source of knowledge. I have purchased tube amps, guitars, various stompbox pedals, DIY pedals etc. and nothing has been this comprehensive.

   

I spent the last decade trying to purge myself of these distractions; especially the flesh and the value it seems to hold. I do alright until some filth pops up throughout the course of modern living. I reformatted my hard drive about 2 months ago and a few days later I wanted to check something on youtube and some flesh ad pops up. There are ways to control that, but that takes time, time I should be WOODSHEDDING!

My trouble is that I can not currently play the music that I hear inside.

"It's a lot easier to be technical than it is stylized; it really is... But I think it's a lot more rare to have someone who's really got their own sound because that's something you can't practice." -MARTY FRIEDMAN

"...they'll become Nirvana."
    this part bothers me because I'm not sure I share that same goal. What about the musicians who wish to learn the variety of styles(Country, Jazz, Blues, Rock, Funk, Classical, Folk, Metal (and all their sub-genres)) and chops associated with a variety cover band, where the ability to faithfully reproduce the music is surely appreciated?
I have been doing just that and lots of original music for 40 years. The chops I have developed playing in different variety cover bands has given me the ability to improvise at a very high level. It's all helpful and it's all good. I have an album coming out before Christmas with the band "Follys Pool" that I played all electric guitars and some mandolin on. I was encouraged to be myself and played my own tones and style using some of what I learned from playing covers and some of what I learned and developed on my own. I would not do anything different if I could do any of it over again. It's been a great ride for me!

Mrchevy

The right side of the brain controls the left side of the body and the left side of the brain controls the right side of the body, therefor, only left handed people are in their right mind. Happy to be a lefty by the way. My first guitar teacher ( at 11 years old ) told me, " since you are just starting to learn guitar, might I suggest learning to play a right handed guitar. It will be no more awkward than playing a left handed guitar, and there are a whole lot more right handed guitars to chose from."  I took her advise and never regretted it. Trying to play left handed now is like going back to day one.

Elantric, I am going to have my 12 yr old daughter read this thread as it is very inspiring and makes the point well. Kudos to you and the others for sharing their stories.
Gibson Les Paul Custom
Epi Les Paul Standard
Gibson SG 50's prototype
Squire classic vibe 60's
Epi LP Modern
Epi SG Custom
Martin acoustic

Princeton chorus 210

GT100
GR-55
Helix LT
Waza Air Headphones
Boomerang III

And, a lot of stuff I DON'T need

aliensporebomb

Guitar for me was like the puzzle I could never solve,
The toy that never got boring,
The enigma that still keeps me occupied.

The ancillary things I've learned from learning guitar and music have been too positive for me to label any bad experiences in music a failure.
My music projects online at http://www.aliensporebomb.com/

GK Devices:  Roland VG-99, Boss GP-10, Boss SY-1000.

whippinpost91850

Tony, I am looking forward to hearing your music, please keep us informed on when your album is released

cooltouch

This is a compelling, thought provoking topic.  I note the subject of this thread, "Right Brain thinking and Embracing Failure," and I've pondered these words.

I don't know how others' right brains work, but my right brain does not concern itself with "failure." That, to me, is a left brain modality. My right brain is concerned with producing the music I hear in my head -- that is its goal. I find that whenever my technique comes up short, my right brain doesn't think of failure -- no, it becomes frustrated and almost petulant, the way a child would behave.  So I tend to lapse into left brain thinking when these sorts of things occur, where I rationalize -- tell myself to slow down the scale passages or arpeggios until I can play them cleanly, then gradually increase speed. That sort of thing. That is pure left brain to me. The right brain just wants to run, run, run, and it's my left brain that must reign it in.

My right brain hears melodies and harmonic passages that it doesn't know how to play and becomes frustrated -- like a small child -- and it's up to my left brain to bail it out, search out these melodies and/or harmonic progressions, and instruct my right brain in them. Once they've been inculcated, then my right brain can run away with them and give them a thorough workout.

When I'm "practicing," time has little meaning for me. I'm usually caught up in right brain mode and the day can fly by without my realizing it. If I set myself goals, another left brain activity, but one that can sort of set anchors for my right brain to respond to, I am more aware of the passage of time -- and of progress. In right brain mode, I don't care about progress. I just care about making the sounds I want to hear. Progress is another left brain concept.

One of the most profound right brain experiences I've ever had is improvising in a live setting -- especially in front of a sizable crowd.  I've played to empty houses and to crowds of thousands and I prefer the crowds of thousands.  8) It is almost like a powerful drug, the feeling that courses through me in this type of setting, and I usually end up playing way over my head, pulling off feats that I would seldom even try when merely practicing. In these situations, my left brain is totally absent and it is only because of the hours spent practicing a given song that I even remember to rein myself back in when the time comes to do so.

I've been playing guitar for 48 years now, and I've had my share of disappointments. Perhaps more than my share, if I'm going to be honest. But it's the right brain that keeps me going, that makes me want to pick up a guitar again, if only for a few moments of playing a lick or two or a few chords. If I were to listen to my left brain, I would have quit decades ago. But my right brain doesn't process "failure," which usually just translates into "not making money at it." I have reached the point in my life now where I just admit to myself and others that I'm an artist -- good or bad, makes no difference, although I consider myself to be a "good" guitarist, definitely -- an artist is what I am, and I have made peace with myself over this.  I say this because I've tried to find many other things to do with my life, and in the process I've developed skills in many other areas of endeavor -- eg: civil engineering, machining, welding, restaurant management, linguistics (BA and MA), teaching, visual art, writing (I'm published), and the list goes on -- but none have been able to successfully replace my desires to play music. So, despite my lack of "success" in the music biz, I have come to accept the fact that I'm a musician, and I've made my peace in that regard.

In more recent years, I have become interested in music composition. It took me a while because of limited funds, but eventually I built myself a very capable Digital Audio Workstation, aka DAW.  Just the way the word processor allowed me to hone my writing abilities, I've found that the right sort of music software has allowed me to get my musical "thoughts" down on virtual paper, where I can then develop them, flesh them out to actual pieces of music. Sometimes all it takes is a short phrase to get me started, and I can develop a whole tune out of it.  I've never been much of a singer, though -- I'm a guitarist who also plays a little keyboards -- and I just don't think "vocally." I think instrumentally, so as a result, almost all the tunes I've written are instrumentals. Me, I don't have a problem with that, but I guess folks in the "music biz" might. Like I freaking care what they think.

That's probably another reason for my lack of "success" in the music biz. Not being particularly interested in playing what's popular. Sure I've done it -- I've done it for years to make money, but I've never been happy being forced to play popular covers just to make a living at it. My right brain tends to rebel and often goes off into a funk when I have to do this, and as a result, I would often be stuck playing left-brained at my gigs, which really made me unhappy. My left brain is merely an adequate musician.

Another frustrating thing about playing gigs is having to depend on others, as in other band members. The last time I put together a band, it was a jazz quartet -- sax, guitar, bass and drums. We had worked up about a hundred old standards and had just begun gigging when, without warning, the bass player moves out of town without telling any of the rest of us. Back to mommy and daddy in Mississippi because he and his wife split the sheets. It sent the band into a tailspin that we weren't able to pull out of. We tried to find a replacement for him but no luck, and the band just sort of drifted apart. All that work, down the drain.

But one of the really nice things about composing my own music on my DAW is I didn't need anyone else. I had a full suite of MIDI instruments and more with the synths I had in my system. I had my Roland GR-33 which gave me much more freedom. With the GR-33, I could improvise ideas that the software would record and score note-for-note. And then I could go back and edit the score. This sort of freedom was transformational. So, I immersed myself in creating my own music, which I found to be almost as satisfying as playing live in front of a ton of people. And the result was two CDs of my own music, but it's music that doesn't necessarily follow any genre. It's whatever inspiration hits me at the moment, and then my right brain just picks it up and runs with it the way it is wont to do. So as a result, my music ranges from classical to blues to zydeco (Cajun music). Written, performed, arranged, produced, and recorded by yours truly.  I have both CDs up at Soundcloud. Give 'em a listen, if you feel so inclined:

https://soundcloud.com/michaelmcbroom/sets

The first CD up there is pretty laid back stuff. Easy on your ears and your mind, for the most part. The second CD is more up tempo (except for the CD's title track, which is a pretty laid back number) with some rock, blues, and even a bit of "new age" tossed in. I'm working on more right now. One of my objectives is to play around with "remixes." But not ones you would probably ever think of. Close to the top of my list is to do a remix of the second movement to Bach's Brandenburg Concerto #3. I want to set it to synths, a la Walter Carlos's  Switched On Bach album from 1968. Beethoven's 9th set to synths as well. Mozart's Requiem. Etc. Plus there are a number of popular tunes I would like to turn my attention to.  And I have some original compositions I'm playing around with as well. You know, music composition is probably the most liberating sort of practice or performance there is. I am no longer restricted by the rather severe limitations that a guitar imposes upon me. The Orchestra, my guitar and keyboards, and every synth I have loaded on my DAW is become my collective instrument.

Oh, the power!



Best,
Michael

Kevin M

Conceivably, the whole right brain/left brain thing is a myth:

http://m.livescience.com/39373-left-brain-right-brain-myth.html

With respect to Dave Grohl's statements on American Idol type shows, I would add that the bigger loss with these shows is the complete stifling of artistic expression and creativity.

cooltouch

Quote from: kmaus10 on November 17, 2013, 12:28:47 PM
Conceivably, the whole right brain/left brain thing is a myth:

http://m.livescience.com/39373-left-brain-right-brain-myth.html

Such is often the case when comparing theory to fact. It is helpful to think in plain terms like left and right, rather than having to think in terms of diffuse areas shown to provide a quantifiable response most of the time, while other areas seem to mimic this response at other times.  Face it, we don't know the brain as well as we'd like to. So we construct simplified models to help us better understand that which we do know. Or think we know.

Best,
Michael

Toby Krebs

#21
Quote from: cooltouch on November 17, 2013, 10:42:12 AM
This is a compelling, thought provoking topic.  I note the subject of this thread, "Right Brain thinking and Embracing Failure," and I've pondered these words.

I don't know how others' right brains work, but my right brain does not concern itself with "failure." That, to me, is a left brain modality. My right brain is concerned with producing the music I hear in my head -- that is its goal. I find that whenever my technique comes up short, my right brain doesn't think of failure -- no, it becomes frustrated and almost petulant, the way a child would behave.  So I tend to lapse into left brain thinking when these sorts of things occur, where I rationalize -- tell myself to slow down the scale passages or arpeggios until I can play them cleanly, then gradually increase speed. That sort of thing. That is pure left brain to me. The right brain just wants to run, run, run, and it's my left brain that must reign it in.

My right brain hears melodies and harmonic passages that it doesn't know how to play and becomes frustrated -- like a small child -- and it's up to my left brain to bail it out, search out these melodies and/or harmonic progressions, and instruct my right brain in them. Once they've been inculcated, then my right brain can run away with them and give them a thorough workout.

When I'm "practicing," time has little meaning for me. I'm usually caught up in right brain mode and the day can fly by without my realizing it. If I set myself goals, another left brain activity, but one that can sort of set anchors for my right brain to respond to, I am more aware of the passage of time -- and of progress. In right brain mode, I don't care about progress. I just care about making the sounds I want to hear. Progress is another left brain concept.

One of the most profound right brain experiences I've ever had is improvising in a live setting -- especially in front of a sizable crowd.  I've played to empty houses and to crowds of thousands and I prefer the crowds of thousands.  8) It is almost like a powerful drug, the feeling that courses through me in this type of setting, and I usually end up playing way over my head, pulling off feats that I would seldom even try when merely practicing. In these situations, my left brain is totally absent and it is only because of the hours spent practicing a given song that I even remember to rein myself back in when the time comes to do so.

I've been playing guitar for 48 years now, and I've had my share of disappointments. Perhaps more than my share, if I'm going to be honest. But it's the right brain that keeps me going, that makes me want to pick up a guitar again, if only for a few moments of playing a lick or two or a few chords. If I were to listen to my left brain, I would have quit decades ago. But my right brain doesn't process "failure," which usually just translates into "not making money at it." I have reached the point in my life now where I just admit to myself and others that I'm an artist -- good or bad, makes no difference, although I consider myself to be a "good" guitarist, definitely -- an artist is what I am, and I have made peace with myself over this.  I say this because I've tried to find many other things to do with my life, and in the process I've developed skills in many other areas of endeavor -- eg: civil engineering, machining, welding, restaurant management, linguistics (BA and MA), teaching, visual art, writing (I'm published), and the list goes on -- but none have been able to successfully replace my desires to play music. So, despite my lack of "success" in the music biz, I have come to accept the fact that I'm a musician, and I've made my peace in that regard.

In more recent years, I have become interested in music composition. It took me a while because of limited funds, but eventually I built myself a very capable Digital Audio Workstation, aka DAW.  Just the way the word processor allowed me to hone my writing abilities, I've found that the right sort of music software has allowed me to get my musical "thoughts" down on virtual paper, where I can then develop them, flesh them out to actual pieces of music. Sometimes all it takes is a short phrase to get me started, and I can develop a whole tune out of it.  I've never been much of a singer, though -- I'm a guitarist who also plays a little keyboards -- and I just don't think "vocally." I think instrumentally, so as a result, almost all the tunes I've written are instrumentals. Me, I don't have a problem with that, but I guess folks in the "music biz" might. Like I freaking care what they think.

That's probably another reason for my lack of "success" in the music biz. Not being particularly interested in playing what's popular. Sure I've done it -- I've done it for years to make money, but I've never been happy being forced to play popular covers just to make a living at it. My right brain tends to rebel and often goes off into a funk when I have to do this, and as a result, I would often be stuck playing left-brained at my gigs, which really made me unhappy. My left brain is merely an adequate musician.

Another frustrating thing about playing gigs is having to depend on others, as in other band members. The last time I put together a band, it was a jazz quartet -- sax, guitar, bass and drums. We had worked up about a hundred old standards and had just begun gigging when, without warning, the bass player moves out of town without telling any of the rest of us. Back to mommy and daddy in Mississippi because he and his wife split the sheets. It sent the band into a tailspin that we weren't able to pull out of. We tried to find a replacement for him but no luck, and the band just sort of drifted apart. All that work, down the drain.

But one of the really nice things about composing my own music on my DAW is I didn't need anyone else. I had a full suite of MIDI instruments and more with the synths I had in my system. I had my Roland GR-33 which gave me much more freedom. With the GR-33, I could improvise ideas that the software would record and score note-for-note. And then I could go back and edit the score. This sort of freedom was transformational. So, I immersed myself in creating my own music, which I found to be almost as satisfying as playing live in front of a ton of people. And the result was two CDs of my own music, but it's music that doesn't necessarily follow any genre. It's whatever inspiration hits me at the moment, and then my right brain just picks it up and runs with it the way it is wont to do. So as a result, my music ranges from classical to blues to zydeco (Cajun music). Written, performed, arranged, produced, and recorded by yours truly.  I have both CDs up at Soundcloud. Give 'em a listen, if you feel so inclined:

https://soundcloud.com/michaelmcbroom/sets

The first CD up there is pretty laid back stuff. Easy on your ears and your mind, for the most part. The second CD is more up tempo (except for the CD's title track, which is a pretty laid back number) with some rock, blues, and even a bit of "new age" tossed in. I'm working on more right now. One of my objectives is to play around with "remixes." But not ones you would probably ever think of. Close to the top of my list is to do a remix of the second movement to Bach's Brandenburg Concerto #3. I want to set it to synths, a la Walter Carlos's  Switched On Bach album from 1968. Beethoven's 9th set to synths as well. Mozart's Requiem. Etc. Plus there are a number of popular tunes I would like to turn my attention to.  And I have some original compositions I'm playing around with as well. You know, music composition is probably the most liberating sort of practice or performance there is. I am no longer restricted by the rather severe limitations that a guitar imposes upon me. The Orchestra, my guitar and keyboards, and every synth I have loaded on my DAW is become my collective instrument.

Oh, the power!




Beautiful music cooltouch. Gorgeous changes very well crafted and easy to enjoy! Thanks for sharing!

supernicd

Agreed, cooltouch, great stuff!  Very relaxing.  In fact, it is too relaxing for my particular moment in time, so I'm going to have to come back to it when I'm able to let my mind drift away to a peaceful place. :)
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cooltouch

#23
Thank's very much for listening, guys. But it sounds like the both of you started with my Hyperion CD. The Tears CD is more up tempo, except for the title piece, and not as likely to cause you to drift off.


Best,
Michael

LukeB

What a great discussion.

As I too am a senior (in body but not mind) and there is a lot to inspire me here.

Great music Mike. I think I like the Tears CD best. More guitar in it.  ;D

fascinating reading. Thank you all.

Cheers,
Luke