One of the things I try to do (but don’t do often enough) is videotape myself when playing gigs. I think there are a few reasons I don’t do this more often; one, it is another thing to think of besides the gear and all the other stuff that comes along with a gig, and two, it can be sometimes painful to watch myself! Anyway, I have been performing as a pretty regular sub for a Beatles tribute band, and had the pleasure of performing with them at a well known Atlanta venue last Saturday. One of the members of the audience filmed a large portion of the show and posted it on YouTube. The audio was iffy at best (it was recorded on a phone), but good enough where I could get the overall idea of what I was doing. In listening to the recording, I came away with several thoughts and feelings. Let’s face it, if you are like me and have spent a considerable amount of your time over the last several years practicing certain ideas and concepts (I hate to use the word “licks”), you want to use them whenever possible. HOWEVER (and this is capped for a reason), choosing where and when to use them is the key to musicality and professionalism. Now don’t get me wrong, I certainly wasn’t playing my John Bonham bass drum fills or Vinnie licks over  “Good Day Sunshine”, but I can tell you that when I did throw something in that served me more than the music, it stuck out. I may have thought it was cool at the time, but did it take away from the music? Yea, maybe a bit.

So here’s the deal: I f you want to play a lot and really “show your stuff”,  do it when the music calls for it; otherwise, be mindful of what is happening around you. Remember, music should be like speaking; if someone is talking to you, you don’t talk over them, correct? Also, remember that it is actually easier to play fast with fills all over the place then to play simply and with just the right part. Trust me on this, I have had several students that are really good at playing a lot of fills with double bass onslaughts, but ask them to play a great feeling groove with a click, and forget about it!

Okay, until next time…..