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Keeping
It Simple - Three Words To Live By
By Mark Stefani (www.visionmusic.com) |
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Simplicity.
Such a basic concept, but one that manages to elude so many people in
so many ways, and never is this more evident than in the field of music.
I'd like to spend this edition discussing this basic issue, and explain
why I feel that it's so important to never lose sight of this proven
formula for success.
Anyone who knows me well is constantly reminded of my philosophy regarding simplicity, especially at the tail end of most correspondence, where I continue to parrot the quote by legendary jazz bassist Charles Mingus: "Anyone can make the simple complicated. Creativity is making the complicated simple!" This has been my main motto as a coach for many years, for obvious reasons. Music can tend to be a very daunting affair, with all the confusing terminology involved. I feel that one of my primary goals lies in demystifying the path to knowledge, no easy task given the number of players and teachers who tend to do the exact opposite. Why is this the case? Well, in their sometimes misguided quest to evolve, musicians have a tendency to reach for higher and higher levels of sophistication, often believing that the more complex something is, the better. This is certainly true in the jazz community. For instance, it still kills me when someone refers to a great guitar talent like Kenny Burrell as "just a blues player," as if it's easy to do what he does. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth in my mind, because the entire purpose of musical creation and performance is to emotionally move the listener, but there are still many who fail to understand this fundamental fact. Yet history clearly bears this out. The real challenge, getting back to the Mingus quote, lies in achieving something complicated but using your creativity to disguise it, so that it still comes across as something simple. My favorite players and influences all have this in common, and it's what I strive for the most myself, both in performance and in composition. How do I know whether I'm being successful with this goal? In a number of ways, actually. When I listen to myself play, just as when I listen to other artists, if my mind is the first thing stimulated, or if I find myself captivated by the technique, chances are that the simplicity has been misplaced in the process. Ideally I want the simplicity of the message and feeling to hit me first, and the rest be a pleasant afterthought. I do the same thing when arranging or composing. Nowadays I'd much rather be "safe than sorry" and, if I really have to choose, to err on the side of simplicity. You've probably heard of the "K.I.S.S." philosophy? You know, as in "Keep It Simple, Stupid?" Blunt, but also very true. Teaching is even a bigger challenge, due to the fact that anything can appear complicated to someone trying to learn a musical instrument. One of the reasons that I shy away from overstressing theory and physical technique is that I truly believe that regular exposure to real world musical elements (i.e. great tunes, riffs, solos, bass lines, chord progressions, etc) is a simpler concept to grasp. There's also ample proof that many of the most successful musicians were often somewhat lacking on the theoretical and physical side, yet they still managed to effectively communicate the message very well. Perhaps "communication" is what this is all about, whether you're playing, teaching, writing, or whatever. After all, if your message ends up being over the head of your audience, then you've failed to deliver that message. Keeping it simple. Definitely three words to live by! |
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About the author Mark Stefani is a jazz guitarist and eduactor in Portland Oregon. He has written many books in the guitar educational field. In 1987 his career was spotlighted in Guitar Player Magazine where he was described as possessing a 'versatile style on both electric and acoustic guitars' in addition to having a 'master's touch'. For more info and to contact Mark go to www.visionmusic.com |
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