I played a short duo gig with my friend Brice Albert today at Cal State Northridge. It was a small outdoor reception for the Microbiology Student's Association, with some tasty catered food and nice weather. While Brice chunked away on guitar (no power for us!) and I played some quiet alto sax, I came to a realization: being a musician has allowed me to be a part of many celebrations. From something as simple as a school reception to my good friend's wedding, I've witnessed a great deal of ceremony and smiles and had the opportunity to be a part of it all, to add something to the occasion. And very rarely has my presence gone unappreciated; people love good music, even if they aren't listening all the time, even if they don't realize I slipped in a chromatic ii-V7, there will always be a few people to thank us for the music or to offer us a drink or some conversation.
As was the case today, it's nice sometimes to play these gigs that, at first thought, might seem silly or random, but then they remind us how fortunate we musicians are to be doing what we love and bringing a touch of something happy or new into others' lives. It can be a struggle as a creative musician to remember that not everything we do has to be groundbreaking, or technically dazzling, or deeply thought-out. While we should all push ourselves, it's also okay to just make good music, whatever that means to you and your ears.
Played Take The "A" Train before? Good. Let's play it again.
Just when you think people aren't listening to you play...that's when it may be touching someone in a very deep way! Hey that rhymes!! But it's true! People get different things out of the music they hear...but it's all good.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you are understand why you need to share your gift.
Hey man, nice blog! I didn't realize you were getting into the whole WEB thing... Keep it up man!
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