Reddit mentions of The Music Lesson: A Spiritual Search for Growth Through Music

First thing's first man. Take a step back and chill.

Alright, we cool? We cool!

Don't knock your guitar. You're angry and frustrated with a slump right now, and since your guitar is all you've got you feel like you should have more. While more gear would be cool, I'm sure you have a connection with that guitar. Treat your instrument with respect and love! It sounds ridiculous, but I thank my instruments before I play them now; not everyone can have even that acoustic guitar, nevertheless the ability to pick it up and make good sounds with it.

Nothing to show for 6 years? I'll call bullshit on that. So what, you don't have a mind blowing EP, or recordings of your music you dream about everynight. So easy to look at what you don't have..Instead, start spending time at what you DO have. From this post, it sounds like you have a guitar that isn't broken, a space to play it, and a desire to become a better musician. If I'm correct, you've had these things for the past 6 years; and I'm willing to bet that you didn't sound nearly as good 6 years ago as you can sound today. What you have sir, is experience. You're still here, and you're still interested in becoming better. You're on the right path.

> I want to be a musician. I want to play open mics and shows. I want to make something. I want to feel confident in what I do. I want to know that i'm not wasting my time, but everything points to the fact that I am.

Alright, that doesn't sound unreasonable to me; nor should it to you. You've got everything you need to make this happen man..so...MAKE IT HAPPEN! ;) Put those extra hours into work, save that cash up for a nice DAW to record with. Find someone who can record you or hook you up with gear. Find someone to jam with that's better than you, befriend them. Wake up everyday and make damn sure you tell yourself that you ARE a musician, and that you WILL find the success you are searching for. Make the efforts to practice more, find the things you suck at and figure out WHY you do and HOW you can make them better. Thinking is one thing man, but I'm saying it's time to Physically make yourself do these things. But most important of all, make sure you are telling yourself that you CAN do it, everyday you wake up.

I took the time to type this out, because I'm in a similar position. For the few past years, I've felt that I "wasted" time and that I didn't have any skill or worth; that being a musician meant some glorious beam of light had to bestow upon me and grant me the power. Talent (to an extent) is overrated man! It's skill and practice (and creativity/talent, but we all posses that). I saw myself where you are claiming to be right now, but I started realizing how much potential I was sitting on top of. How much I had to be grateful for.

Here's two resources that have helped me into a journey of positive behavior and a cut-throat attitude with my goals.

Read This. Yes it costs money. Buy it, and read it. Find a way to download it. Just do yourself a solid, and read it somehow.

Listen to this guy talk. If you're practicing, doing homework, browsing, going to bed; Listen to this playlist on shuffle and take it all to heart. It might sound corny at first if you're in a depressive state. But give the guy a chance and I promise you'll learn something new about yourself.

That's all I got man. Know you aren't alone, and that you're everything you make yourself out to be. You can do it, but it won't be easy. So make it happen!

Best wishes.

I want to take the opportunity to recommend this book from Wooten, change my perspective on music https://www.amazon.com/Music-Lesson-Spiritual-Search-Through/dp/0425220931

There is a laundry list of things in music besides chords also which are taught in a music course. Articulation, dynamics, rhythm, tone, phrasing, and rest are all examples of things I rarely hear talked about outside of the musician community, but is just as important as the notes you play. I would recommend a book written by a highly accomplished musician named Victor Wooten. You don't need any prior musician skill at all to understand what he writes, you just need to like music (and who doesnt?). In the book, he talks in depth about many different aspects of music that people don't take into account, even many budding musicians.

The Music Lesson by Victor Wooten. A lot of it is set in the context of bass guitar but it really is for anybody who plays an instrument.

So to highlight some of the things from my reply to your original post.

Pentatonics are safer as there's nothing greatly offensive about them when applied over many chords, but 7 notes really raise the bar alot in terms of adding more tense or nothing sounding notes.

This gets tricky when combining notes together as now predictable tension, release, sounding nice with the chord and the context of the progression becomes that more difficult and its so much easier to get lost.

So two things greatly helped me.

1. Play to the chords - notes you play harmonise with the underlying chord at the time, they work together and its the resultant sound you hear.
   
   Therefore, to use modes / scales effectivly your note choices must repect the chord, things like how tense/clashy or homely a note sounds is extremely important to how a phrase sounds and is all to do with the chord + lead / melody notes working together.
   
   So a bit of advice given to me is you should be able to hear the chords / chord changes in the solo / melody.
   
   It's why I dont like the term E mixolydian jam or in the Key of C lydian. For example, a I IV V in the Key of C has the chords C major F major and G major respectivly and you can improvise using C major.
   
   I would personally say if we are talking "modes" that over that progression you do not solo in C major. You use 3 scales / modes, C ionian, F lydian and G mixolydian. Now the context is all nice an correct. Yeah these are all modes of C major, but it makes sense to me when you play over an F chord you are using an F something scale.
   
   So you would never use a scale / mode over several different chords. "E mixolydian" jam to me says chuggin out over an E7 chord constantly. If there are other chords, say a B7, then you certainly dont play E mixolydian over that, its B something and in the context, B mixolydian.
   
   But thats when you talk "modes" / theory. Another / easier way to look at it is, you are playing C major but making sure in your note selection over each chord you select notes that work with the chord. I.e. over the C the E note sounds warm/happy and good + works well with the chord but over the F it changes and the A note sounds warm / happy / good.
   
   
2. Vocalisation. Phrasing is an extremely interesting topic. If I had to summarise when I think phrasing is all about in a sentence I would say its is all about communication.
   
   I started writing about humans / physiology / communication and what I believe are effects on how we perceive music, but it got long / off topic...
   
   Long story short, vocalisation forces you phrase more naturally. You are constricted by breath etc. You are also much more connected with your voice then you are with the guitar (thats something then develop) so you can use your imagination more and help get natural inflection and dynamics etc.
   
   Its like knowing what you want to do and then developing a connection with the guitar to achieve it, rather than essentially finding something randomly on the guitar and trying to connect it back to something / an understanding of what you may want to do. I started with the latter, but it (for me) now just seems the completely the wrong way round, so I do the first way now and Its helped me greatly.
   
   With vocalisation, you dont have to be pitch perfect / beautiful singing, you just vocalise out (la's, hmms, anything but it has to be somethin) somewhat near enough, inside you're head you wioll know what you mean.
   
   Victor Wootens book The Music Lesson I think is well worth a read.
   

I always liked this Victor Wooten book.

My first band (and second one, for that matter) focused wholly on original material.

In the 2nd one trying to corral four people in a room on a consistent basis was our biggest challenge, let alone make some creative spark happen without it all devolving into distractions. We ended up just jamming on chords and going nowhere.

Back to the first - few of us had any experience. One classically trained guitarist who was very good, another guitarist on an acoustic who had pure talent and could make almost anything he played sound good, a singer/poet with personality, humor, and his own style, and me, the guy who thought "I can play bass."

That band (still my favorite) met at least once a week, played for at least an hour or two (sometimes more, rarely less) when we got together, and worked up nothing but original material for the few short months we were together. I still have a tape of our songs, all recorded in a single small room on a 4-track. It's rough, but beautiful, and we were all growing together as musicians. I still know those songs and am still proud of the creativity that spawned them.

The key I've found in playing since then is to be yourself and have fun most of all. As you play more, you'll get better, even if you're getting bored practicing. Victor Wooten has some interesting points to make on practicing in this book, The Music Lesson. Highly recommended.

Your frustration is perfectly natural. The same questions and doubts arise in all of us at all levels. The standard answers you noted are true, but only in your context and when you are at the right place in your journey.

A few things come to mind that might be of use.

Seek out a mentor. We all need guidance and teachers. Find someone who has had the type of succeses you are looking for. Ask questions and learn from the wisdom of their experience.

Seek out a collaborator. One of the most rewarding aspects of what we do is sharing it with others. Sharing the creative process and bouncing around new ideas with someone else is fun and creates an environment where new ideas and avenues can flourish.

Take time to be introspective without being reactive. Be real with yourself. What are your goals. Really think about the why and the outcome you hope see. Successful people are not successful by accident. They work incredibly hard to achieve their success - we are only seeing the end result.

Sometimes the best thing to do is take a break. Walk away from it and give your mind and spirit a rest so when you return it is with renewed exuberance. As odd as this may sound, when I take a break, my brain tells my it's time to come back through dreaming about playing and being on stage or jamming with others.

Something else you might consider is [Zen Guitar] (https://amzn.to/2IO4IfU) or [Victor Wooten's The Music Lesson] (https://amzn.to/2GbuyJf), both of which are fantastic and inspirational reads.

I hope this helps my friend!

General practice and exercise: Bass Fitness

Theory, technique, ideas and concepts: The Evolving Bassist, Bass Method: Volumes 1, 2, and 3

Fun, interesting reads: 101 Bass Tips, Standing in the Shadows of Motown, The Music Lesson

The Music Lesson by Victor Wooten
It changed my life as a musician
http://www.amazon.com/The-Music-Lesson-Spiritual-Through/dp/0425220931/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333358086&sr=8-1

Try reading this book:

Victor Wooten - The Music Lesson: A Spiritual Search for Growth Through Music

It reflects a lot on what you've written and how to really listen to music. It's narrated in a somewhat spiritual way, but the messages are pretty clear.

Book description:

> From Grammy-winning musical icon and legendary bassist Victor L. Wooten comes The Music Lesson, the story of a struggling young musician who wanted music to be his life, and who wanted his life to be great. Then, from nowhere it seemed, a teacher arrived. Part musical genius, part philosopher, part eccentric wise man, the teacher would guide the young musician on a spiritual journey, and teach him that the gifts we get from music mirror those from life, and every movement, phrase, and chord has its own meaning...All you have to do is find the song inside.

Late to the party, a lot of good responses already. One thing you may want to try is get a copy of The Music Lesson by Victor Wooten.
It's a good read and can probably help your (and possibly your teacher) build a course of study that is more than the "classical" training of reading music, scales, etudes, modes, etc. I just finished it, and after some 30+ years of playing, has changed my approach to practice and performing. Good luck!

Go out and buy the book The Music Lesson, by Victor Wooten. I can't tell you how much this book has impacted my life.

https://www.amazon.com/Music-Lesson-Spiritual-Search-Through/dp/0425220931

It's available pretty much wherever anywhere that sells books.

I second the jazz piano book, jazzadvice.com, and all the rest of this advice.

My two favorite music books are Victor Wooten's The Music Lesson and Philip Toshio Sudo's Zen Guitar. They contain wisdom that a lot of other music education misses.

As far as playing the piano goes, I recommend really exploring the piano as an instrument. Find the piano's strong and unique points, and be pianistly (in this sense). Conversely, target the piano's weak points, and learn to imitate other instruments: playing long unbroken lines like a sax will make you "light on your fingers" and help you to decompartmentalize fingering patterns you have learned.

I'm a big fan of this video right now. Download the pdf too, and practice the scales listed. The idea of chords being fragments of larger scale families (and being able to hear the entire scale families going by) is important. This is easiest to wrap your head around by playing modal chords on a C major scale. Allan holdsworth explains it better. This also ties into the "find which notes can be added to round out the standard chords" thing- if you hear the entire scale, then extrapolating which notes can be added is fairly intuitive.

Also, listen to great players. I like powell, monk, tatum, george shearing, and marian mcpartland, Mccoy Tyner, Kenny Barron, Esjborn Svensson Trio, Keith Jarrett, and Bill Evans. These are just a few mainstream examples. Also, learn from other instrumental traditions. If you like something, try to extrapolate a principle or lesson that you can bring with you from that song, and likewise if you dislike something, articulate what it is you dislike, then you can learn to play the opposite. John Hartford says "style is based on limitations", so choose carefully how you learn to play. If you don't like something, don't learn to play like that just because it's part of the jazz aesthetic cannon or some nonsense.

Also, play with someone. Play with bandinabox, which is easy to steal and fairly cheap to buy, and has many many many song files freely available online. Play with a metronome, at least.

Learn to adjust your technique to different pianos. Not every piano you play on will be good or even fair, so being able to get a feel for a new instrument and its limitations quickly is a great skill. On your home instrument, focus all the more strongly on finding technique compatible with that instrument. On a related note, let your mind step back and lead with your hands, letting fingerings and reflexes show you the way forward. On the other hand, let your technique fade into the foreground and practice bringing out the ideas in your ear, even if they navigate unfamiliar territory (do this slowly or it won't work and you'll revert to reflex) Both modes have their merits, and the more you get comfy with both, the less of a distinction there is between them.

Also, practice singing and playing. Meld your understanding of harmony on the piano with your ear and voice. Also, practice thinking big (long musical fragments, specific complex voicings, etc, etc) at & away from the instrument. If you can't think big, your creativity will never have good macro structure & flow. I really believe that our creative impulse is a divine gift, but it often builds on our existing experience and abilities.

Read this


I was at a similar mental place with playing music in general a few years ago and a friend recommended this book to me ---

it absolutely changed my life.

I recognized this immediately! It is from the "Music Lesson" by Victor Wooten. It really is an amazing piece of literature for anyone who enjoys playing/listening to music.

Quite appropriately, you aren't the only one to have that idea! Victor Wooten, one of the most respected musicians in the world right now, talks about that same principle of an aether of ideas in his book The Music Lesson.

I tend to agree with you, although I think the individual whom the idea inhabits has a very profound impact on the shape the idea takes-- thus you end up with Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz independently discovering the nature of calculus and applying it to the world around them in completely different ways.

Of course that begs the question as to whether the number of ideas flying around is finite. Perhaps that is the case, but I don't think it matters-- as long as there are unique beings to interpret those ideas, we shall not want for perspective.

And with all that waxing philosophical out of the way, you should record some of those musical ideas! Sounds like you've got a knack for it, so why not pursue it?

Most of the way through Victor Wooten's "The Music Lesson". Pretty good read that's also an easy one. His approach to music is interesting. Amazon

Also, definitely check out this book by Victor Wooten

As tidesofblood88 said music is a language. This bit from Victor Wooten also speaks of music as a language, and elaborates a bit more on that. If you like what you hear in the clip, I'd recommend reading his book The Music Lesson. While it is a novel and a work of fiction(?), it provides a different way of looking at music, rather than looking at it from the POV of scale and theory.

Ah, I suppose for me it has been a recent thing. I've not finished it yet, but I've been reading this book and it's taught me a lot about music and inspired me to approach it differently. It's an incredibly bizarre book too. Written by a really great bassist!