Ears and Hands, Redux
Played a gig last night, and had an interesting experience while doing so.
First, there was that whole "hands" vs. "ears" thing that we talked about here. I have played drums three times this year, and that includes last night. My hands? Rusty. My ears had to be dialed in last night, as the gig was a cajun gig and we were playing with new people and a completely new line-up. Two cajun musicians were visiting from Louisiana, and I had never met them. Out of a long two-set gig, I knew maybe three tunes. Other than that, I was wingin' it. And the deal with cajun music is that half the tunes are a fast two-step (very fast sometimes) or a waltz. The differences within those two formats are subtle, but can be very tricky. The beat gets turned around and the phrasing gets pretty strange (I'm pretty sure these tunes were mostly written on front porches after long hours of jamming and drinking, and they would add a couple beats and everyone would yell, and then they'd call it a new tune, generally about lemonade, a dance, trying to get a girl or two, or going with girls to a dance to drink lemonade, and sometimes a wagon wheel is involved.)
Anyway, here's the interesting thing. The first set, my hands were for shit, and the only reason I got away with playing was because I've played a long time and I could trust my ears to make me do what I was supposed to do. By the second set, I was warmed up and I felt comfortable behind the drums, and I could kind of "turn off" my head and just play. Had a blast! My ears, while still important, became less so, and the chops and instrument facility came out a bit, and the whole thing sounded better and was tons o fun.
So, what we see, is that both skills are important in different ways, and it's not always a good idea to go play fast cajun music in public after pretty much not having picked up drumsticks in 18 months and when you don't know the music, but if you wish your way through a first set then maybe the gig will turn out okay, and thank god there was no third set.
posted by Teodoro Callate @ 7:54 AM
5 comments
5 Comments:
Yes, My friend. the ears one can on only so much rely!
What you describe is precisely what I feel about speaking a language that I at one time I was proficient at. I understand literally everything but the "wrong" words keep popping out or simply no words. unlike riding a bicycle, physical skillls do need practice over time in order to be maintained.
I like your description of the lyrics to a typical Cajun song.
i wish i could have been there for that! where was the email?
DNA - I still say ears come first. But that's a convenient thing to say for someone who doesn't practice. (By the way, I would practice if my condo board would allow it, but alas, practicing gunshot snare drum backbeats is rarely welcome in apartment buildings.)
Smuss likes the two-step, eh? I'll make sure to let you know when the next gig is. Could be months or years. It's an inconsistent gig but always fun when they come up!
Teo, with my adult students, I'd say Will comes first. I have adult students who are tone-deaf and cross-eyed but with the will to apply themselves they progress (with the correct tutelage from yours truly of course). With children, a good ear helps but more important than anything else is the support of their parental units in their musical endeavors. You had that and so did I, otherwise we would have never had a chance.
Indeed. I benefited from access. Not many parents would let a 6 year old bash away for years on end. God bless 'em for lettin' me.
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