thoughts
Perfect Imperfection
You have probably heard the saying “Practice makes perfect” and, in a sense, it is true. If you practice something enough times you should be able to play it well consistently. But should perfection be the ultimate goal for music? I don’t think so.
Many great guitar players of old where not “perfect” players. If you listen to John Lennon’s (The Beatles) rhythm guitar parts, there is not much consistency and even the occasional “mistake” in his playing. But his playing and the songs are “perfect” in the sense that people still react to them emotionally and still enjoy them 50 years later. This is a perfect example of feel trumping perfection.
If music becomes too perfect it is often at the cost of feeling or emotional content. There is a reason why a lot of current pop music sounds generic. It’s not that everyone sounds alike (although some do), it more that they all sound “perfect.”
Much of modern music is “assembled” in the studio rather than performed as a band. Computers have allowed us to copy and paste music to assemble “perfect” tracks. Instruments are isolated or recorded separately, typically starting with drums and adding instruments from there. You may play a rhythm guitar part several times while recording and then the engineer will pick the perfect riff or best four bars of the verse and chorus and then copy and paste them as needed to assemble the rhythm track. This makes the track “perfect” but also inhumanly precise and repetitive.
They will use the same method for every instrument, until the track is “perfect.” Even the vocal will be recorded multiple times and then will be “comped” or assembled on a phrase by phrase (or even word by word) basis. This is not so bad, the vocal is the most important part, but another step is often added now, called auto-tuning. Auto-tune is software that corrects the pitch of the singer’s vocal. This seems like a good thing, but it can take away the character of the vocal also. All in the name of “perfection.”
This desire for easy editing also forces musicians to play to a click track so that the tracks can be easily edited and assembled later. Playing to a click track can add a mechanical “feeling” of perfection to the track because it never varies. Or more accurately, it removes any human feeling from the tempo. The recordings of the 60‘s and 70‘s that people still love were not recorded to a click track. They often have slight “human” variations in tempo or “feel” dictated by the music and by humans playing together as a unit on the basic (rhythm) tracks.
This standard of studio perfection can also affect real life performance. People are not machines that can perform flawlessly every time yet some bands still try to achieve perfection by playing to a click track or pre-recorded backing tracks in a live setting, thereby removing most chance for band interaction, tempo variances, or improvisation (and risking the resulting “imperfection.”)
So what does this have to do with guitar playing? First, it is just an explanation of what the music business is like right now. If you want to play in a band with a hot new pop singer you will have to deal with this reality. Secondly, if you are starting your own band, you will probably be recording independently (paying for it yourself or raising funds) and will have the opportunity to buck this trend of perfection (if you're paying, you're the boss.) Rehearse like crazy before you go into the studio and record the basic tracks as a unit to get a band feel. And don’t be afraid of a less then perfect performance if the feel is perfect.
The bottom line is, you should strive to be the best guitar player you can, and play at the highest level possible, but when playing remember that feeling is more important than perfection. People react to emotional performances. Perfect performances can be impressive yet still not connect with an audience. Do you want to be in a killer live band that connects with its audience or sound like the perfect karaoke track? Sometimes imperfection is perfect.
Teaching Guitar Is A Lot Like Teaching Shop Class
I may sound strange, but I think teaching guitar is a lot like teaching shop class. Some kids come in with a little experience, which they usually got from using their Dads tools (guitars), and others are completely new to the subject. It is my job to take them how I get them and turn them into craftsmen (guitar players.) Craftsmen is a generic term, I have plenty of female students also, and I teach them the same things, the same way.
If you have ever been to a well-equipped shop you will know there are various types of tools. It is my job to introduce students to the tools (chords, music notation, rhythm guitar, lead guitar, music theory, etc.) Some tools are more general purpose (chords) and some have more limited, specific uses (tapping.) But they all are used to create a final product (music.)
Learning what the tools do and how to use them is just the first step. The student then have to put in the hours refining their abilities and skills with each tool if they want to be a better craftsman (musician.) There are no shortcuts, it takes time and effort. But the payoff is great — the ability to make things (music) well.
Of course any good teacher is there to supervise and offer help, correction, and encouragement. And the student can tap into the teacher’s knowledge at any time by simply asking. The teacher will also show students the best way to work (fingerings, etc.), tricks of the trade (hammer-ons, bending, double-stops, octaves, harmonics, etc.), and how to combine tools to accomplish things.
Naturally, the teacher will assign projects (songs, exercises, etc.) for the student to complete. These projects help teach and reinforce the techniques and methods necessary to complete the project, and then to move on to more advanced projects. There simply isn’t enough class time to teach the student how to create every possible project (song) they may want to learn. But by showing them how to use the tools properly, the student is able to start working on projects on their own.
Once students start advancing and getting some confidence, they may begin to start envisioning their own projects (songs). This is where the real creativity starts. They take the knowledge and skills learned in class and make every project uniquely theirs. Everyone is unique and it is reflected in their craft (music.)
Then the shop teacher sees what the student has created and smiles. And gets ready for another new student.
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