Attitude!, Just some thoughts... |
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Mar 19 2010, 12:27 AM
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After spending nearly my whole life as a musician, I want to share a thought of mine that becomes stronger & stronger the more I deal with music. When I hear Young players or not so experienced one's, it's always like: "-Why coulnd't he/she played with attitude, then it would have sounded good". It's not about the notes played or even the timing, if a phrase is played like "excuse me of being here", it will sound bad no matter how good/bad it is. Same goes for song writing - I think I threw away hundreds of songs, just because I didn't played them with the right attitude - and then it sounded bad. So what I'm saying here is that aspiring players should focus a lot more on this issue - its just a though from an old rocker.....
//Staffay --------------------  Guitars: Ibanez AM-200, Ibanez GB-10, Fender Stratocaster Classic Player, Warmouth Custom Built, Suhr Classic Strat, Gibson Les Paul Standard 2003, Ibanez steel-string Amps: Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, Marshall JMP 2103, AER 60 Effects: BOSS DD-20, Danelectro Trans. Overdrive, TC-Electronics G-Major, Dunlop Wah-wah, Original SansAmp, BOSS DD-2 Music by Staffy can be found at: Staffay at MySpace |
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Mar 19 2010, 12:51 AM
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10000% agree with you staffy, the words of wisdom
--------------------  Check my Instructor Profile Rockers! Got a Blog too!, www.adriantracks.com Follow me on facebook and youtube! -Youtube   |
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Gear: Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster, Gibson '67 RI Flying V, Mesa Boogie F-30 112 combo, crazy pedals.
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Mar 19 2010, 10:11 AM
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Attitude can come from a number of different places, the important thing is that you are feeling something appropriate to what you are playing. If you are already feeling that way, you're on the right path and may not need to change anything at all except to pay a little more attention to that particular emotion.
If you are not feeling an emotion that is appropriate for the song, there's some steps you can take just the same as you'd practice notes. 1. Stand up and tap your foot. You should be doing this anyway but physical motion that's matched up with tempo will have an effect on your state of mind. Free that foot and eventually the rest of your body will follow. 2. Fake it 'til you make it. Is it a happy song? Yeah? Then why aren't you smiling? I don't care if you don't feel happy, keep smiling and bobbing your head and eventually you will start to feel happy. Is it an angry song? Put the war-face on, stick out your chin, chest, pelvis, on pinch harmonics and other hard accents, bang your head, get your hair going around like a windmill. If you are tense, uptight, stressed out, anxious, but you're playing a nice slow ballad, you are putting your performance at risk. Even if you can't really relax, try to ACT like someone who is relaxed. Imagine that you really ARE that relaxed virtuoso and you will start to feel that way. This will have a similar impact your playing. All of these emotions, really, can impact your timing and dynamics in tiny and subtle --yet hugely significant-- ways that are extremely difficult (currently impossible?) to really really communicate on the "paper" music notation and score. Sitting in a chair really isn't the way to play anything other than uptight classical pieces with no groove, swing, or attitude. If you are struggling to really feel it, then take away as many limitations as you possibly can. -------------------- ::jafomatic
 http://jafomatic.net/tunes/ <-- Here lies the master collection of my collaboration and other improvisation recordings. |
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Mar 19 2010, 10:27 AM
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QUOTE (jafomatic @ Mar 19 2010, 10:11 AM)  Sitting in a chair really isn't the way to play anything other than uptight classical pieces with no groove, swing, or attitude. If you are struggling to really feel it, then take away as many limitations as you possibly can. +1 on this post Jafo, also one very important thing here is that You shall NEVER try to play beyond your level live - eg. its better to play stuff that You really know than a couple of bad phrases than You can't get together. Music is a language that everyone can understand if its spoken clear, and thats what its alla bout - no one wants to listen to a guy/girl that mumbles in the corner. Its really bout telling a story here, You must BELIEVE the story You are telling, otherwise it will be worthless. Some of the great songs/solos has no no advanced technique at all - but they are spoken with a VERY strong voice!!! //Staffay -------------------- Guitars: Ibanez AM-200, Ibanez GB-10, Fender Stratocaster Classic Player, Warmouth Custom Built, Suhr Classic Strat, Gibson Les Paul Standard 2003, Ibanez steel-string Amps: Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, Marshall JMP 2103, AER 60 Effects: BOSS DD-20, Danelectro Trans. Overdrive, TC-Electronics G-Major, Dunlop Wah-wah, Original SansAmp, BOSS DD-2 Music by Staffy can be found at: Staffay at MySpace |
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Mar 19 2010, 12:56 PM
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I absolutely agree. If you want to play rock, then YOU have to rock too, period! A riff does not only turn heavy because of the running order of a couple of chords, you have to play it heavy, otherwise it will never sound great. And this goes for any other musical genre too of course.
-------------------- Guitars: various Gibson Les Pauls / Gibson J 45
Amps: Mesa Boogie Tripple Rectifier / Triaxis / 2:90 Poweramp / Rectocabs Effects: Rocktron Intellifex / Rocktron Xpression Homepage: www.marcussiepen.com www.blind-guardian.com Check out my video lessons! |
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Mar 23 2010, 12:25 PM
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That is true Staffay , attitude is a must whatever you play. Execution in a way equals your feel and approach and audience picks up that when listening to the music.
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Mar 23 2010, 03:06 PM
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Really interesting! Still, you still have to "know" the piece to be able to play it perfectly, it most be within your reach.
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Mar 23 2010, 08:42 PM
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QUOTE (Vasilije Vukmirovic @ Mar 23 2010, 03:06 PM) Really interesting! Still, you still have to "know" the piece to be able to play it perfectly, it most be within your reach. Ofc. You must know the piece, but I found out that the difference really between a good amateur musician and a pro is really that the pro plays his stuff with confidence and attitude - as well as plays things he knows WELL, an amateur rather try to play above his level and no confidence & attitude. Of course this things comes with experience, but even beginners can benefit from this kind of thinking, since it doesn't have to be advanced or flashy to sound really good. //Staffay -------------------- Guitars: Ibanez AM-200, Ibanez GB-10, Fender Stratocaster Classic Player, Warmouth Custom Built, Suhr Classic Strat, Gibson Les Paul Standard 2003, Ibanez steel-string Amps: Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, Marshall JMP 2103, AER 60 Effects: BOSS DD-20, Danelectro Trans. Overdrive, TC-Electronics G-Major, Dunlop Wah-wah, Original SansAmp, BOSS DD-2 Music by Staffy can be found at: Staffay at MySpace |
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Mar 23 2010, 10:55 PM
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QUOTE (Smikey2006 @ Mar 23 2010, 10:05 PM) I don't 100% agree with the idea of "attitude" I personally feel that every sound that comes out of a guitar is a "technique" and "tone" and if you have the right tone and the right technique you can make your playing have as much feel as anyone could imagine. The problem isn't attitude and it is at the same time. If your trying to play something wayyyy over your head you wont enjoy it and you wont try and play it to sound good you will try and play it technically correct. Technically correct just means you hit the right notes( your going to miss accents and bends and vibrato and trills and all the things that make music fun) This will make what your playing sound well.. kinda average. I think attitude is not only being able to play it technically correct but when your having fun doing it your going to be hitting all those notes AS WELL as accenting with the music and then adding onto the music. For example I played a show last saturday where there was one song i couldn't play very well so i spent the whole time on stage like a rod trying to hit all the notes and comments after the show basically were that they didn't care for the song. Every other song i was in my normal groove playing the song like it was meant to be heard and people seemed to love it. But i will never believe that attitude comes before technique because if i COULDN"T play those songs no matter how hard you try and get them to sound great or no matter how much you "groove" they will still sound bad. Another example i have is i know alot of tech-death bands who just sweep for the whole set, but they groove harder than any band i know and i love every minute of it  TL:DR - attitude isn't everything, you still need the skill to be able to play technically correct in order to enjoy and then add attitude. I think others have said this already sorry for the long post I dont think its a matter of what comes first or not, attitude or technique. To be able to perform well, You must do it without actually thinking - eg. acting naturally and play naturally. This can't be done, if You tries to play stuff that are beyond Your level, I will even say that playing someone elses copied licks will in most cases sound bad, at least in a live situation. But if You in-coorporate them seamlessly in Your style and can type of talking to the audience while playing them - then its another thing. Beeing a good musician is in most cases a matter of sorting things out - eg. taking away some of the playing rather than doin a show-off. I've seen so many bands with 4-5 players and everone wants to play the best they can all the time, and it just went messy and ruined something that could have been good. I also want cite Miles Davis: "If I play ONE new note in an evening, its a success!" It really describes to play what You know and do it with attitude rather than trying to be innovative on stage. Practising is another thing - since nobody's other than Yourself is listening, but when it comes to a performance, it has to be done with attitude, otherwise it's worthless. //Staffay -------------------- Guitars: Ibanez AM-200, Ibanez GB-10, Fender Stratocaster Classic Player, Warmouth Custom Built, Suhr Classic Strat, Gibson Les Paul Standard 2003, Ibanez steel-string Amps: Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, Marshall JMP 2103, AER 60 Effects: BOSS DD-20, Danelectro Trans. Overdrive, TC-Electronics G-Major, Dunlop Wah-wah, Original SansAmp, BOSS DD-2 Music by Staffy can be found at: Staffay at MySpace |
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Mar 25 2010, 01:53 AM
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Attitude is the main thing, not just attitude on stage, but towards music and life in general, it's a must.
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