Post by Deleted on Jun 4, 2020 13:29:49 GMT -5
Jim ,@sleigh ,seagullplayer ,Derick ,TonyKgull ,@tbeltrans ,Garland ,ancient1 ,RobertW ,modernsaint ,
Modernsaint, you seem to have lived quite the life dedicated to your music, much of it prior to the internet becoming commonplace in our culture. I would be curious to know what effect the internet has had on those who came after those of us who have been around for a while.
To me, the internet is a double-edged sword. On the plus side, we have access to all manner of information on anything that catches our interest. On the negative side, we have access to all manner of information on anything that catches our interest.
I can't speak for anyone else, but the internet has proven to be a real distraction, from both the enormous variety and amount of information available to distract us, and forums where we can get into long dialogues about things that really amount to little or nothing, such as what does self-taught really mean. Prior to forums, everybody I ever knew who used the term ALL meant the same thing - someone who had not taken formal lessons in the instrument being discussed.
However, this thread will probably go on for quite some time, taking all manner of interesting twists and turns.
Not too long ago, I purchased the entire Steve Crowell catalog that consists of two full length courses in jazz guitar. The first is an in-depth study that he recommends should take 3-4 years, and the second on improvisation, should take about two years. In fact, these courses ARE used in colleges and universities as the curriculum for jazz studies.
In preparation for this pursuit, I recently purchased some tools from StewMac so I could do my own guitar setup. I learned from watching Marty Reynolds, that the slightest adjustments to the nut slots could result in dramatic feel of the strings across the entire fretboard. I did this yesterday on one of my McPherson Sables, and now it feels very similar to a well set up archtop - prime for the style that I am studying. So now I have the guitar and the study material.
My intention is to back away from the distraction of the internet for a while and get back to the kind of focus that Modernsaint describes. All the materials for these courses are in my possession, the books, CDs, and DVDs. I am not dependent on any web site subscription, nor anything on the internet. That is what I need, to be able to completely block off my study time from my internet time rather than constantly searching for bits of this and that in some disjointed fashion, much of whose provenance is questionable for study. I much prefer a well designed course that starts at point A and finishes at point B, with a continuous flow that was put together by someone who has a long history of both professional playing and teaching.
I am doing this for me, so it no longer matters whether anyone else cares to hear what I can play or not. The fact is that if you play acoustic guitar, but don't sing, most people lose interest very quickly. For me, especially in this pursuit, it is the journey rather than the outcome that I enjoy. The study is its own reward instead of something to get through to something else. I can already solo in a jazz setting and play my own chord melody arrangements. Anybody who claims to have been playing guitar for 30+ years ought to know these sorts of things in their respective style as a part of being around the music and guitar for so long.
What I am doing is expanding my understanding and vocabulary in a structured manner, much as many retired people go back to school for another degree or to finish some degree they started years ago. I don't want or need any more college degrees because I had a perfectly fine engineering career with my degree already.
So in a sense, I am merely auditing a college-level guitar degree program. For those who didn't go to college, auditing is a way to take a class for far less tuition by not taking the exams, doing the term papers (optional) and not getting credits or grades. You are paying for the exposure to the knowledge transfer that happens in the class. Often, such folks learn more than those who are focused on the end result of the credits and GPA.
Who cares if somebody considers what I am doing as "self-taught" or not? What we call it doesn't change anything. What matters is good solid, well designed content that is focused on a continuously building study of a musical style that I enjoy and appreciate.
Tony
Modernsaint, you seem to have lived quite the life dedicated to your music, much of it prior to the internet becoming commonplace in our culture. I would be curious to know what effect the internet has had on those who came after those of us who have been around for a while.
To me, the internet is a double-edged sword. On the plus side, we have access to all manner of information on anything that catches our interest. On the negative side, we have access to all manner of information on anything that catches our interest.
I can't speak for anyone else, but the internet has proven to be a real distraction, from both the enormous variety and amount of information available to distract us, and forums where we can get into long dialogues about things that really amount to little or nothing, such as what does self-taught really mean. Prior to forums, everybody I ever knew who used the term ALL meant the same thing - someone who had not taken formal lessons in the instrument being discussed.
However, this thread will probably go on for quite some time, taking all manner of interesting twists and turns.
Not too long ago, I purchased the entire Steve Crowell catalog that consists of two full length courses in jazz guitar. The first is an in-depth study that he recommends should take 3-4 years, and the second on improvisation, should take about two years. In fact, these courses ARE used in colleges and universities as the curriculum for jazz studies.
In preparation for this pursuit, I recently purchased some tools from StewMac so I could do my own guitar setup. I learned from watching Marty Reynolds, that the slightest adjustments to the nut slots could result in dramatic feel of the strings across the entire fretboard. I did this yesterday on one of my McPherson Sables, and now it feels very similar to a well set up archtop - prime for the style that I am studying. So now I have the guitar and the study material.
My intention is to back away from the distraction of the internet for a while and get back to the kind of focus that Modernsaint describes. All the materials for these courses are in my possession, the books, CDs, and DVDs. I am not dependent on any web site subscription, nor anything on the internet. That is what I need, to be able to completely block off my study time from my internet time rather than constantly searching for bits of this and that in some disjointed fashion, much of whose provenance is questionable for study. I much prefer a well designed course that starts at point A and finishes at point B, with a continuous flow that was put together by someone who has a long history of both professional playing and teaching.
I am doing this for me, so it no longer matters whether anyone else cares to hear what I can play or not. The fact is that if you play acoustic guitar, but don't sing, most people lose interest very quickly. For me, especially in this pursuit, it is the journey rather than the outcome that I enjoy. The study is its own reward instead of something to get through to something else. I can already solo in a jazz setting and play my own chord melody arrangements. Anybody who claims to have been playing guitar for 30+ years ought to know these sorts of things in their respective style as a part of being around the music and guitar for so long.
What I am doing is expanding my understanding and vocabulary in a structured manner, much as many retired people go back to school for another degree or to finish some degree they started years ago. I don't want or need any more college degrees because I had a perfectly fine engineering career with my degree already.
So in a sense, I am merely auditing a college-level guitar degree program. For those who didn't go to college, auditing is a way to take a class for far less tuition by not taking the exams, doing the term papers (optional) and not getting credits or grades. You are paying for the exposure to the knowledge transfer that happens in the class. Often, such folks learn more than those who are focused on the end result of the credits and GPA.
Who cares if somebody considers what I am doing as "self-taught" or not? What we call it doesn't change anything. What matters is good solid, well designed content that is focused on a continuously building study of a musical style that I enjoy and appreciate.
Tony