Charts - Freedom and Dependency.

My god son is twenty eight years of age, he plays trumpet. He's done several tours in Iraq as a fighting soldier and is now in the Army band. Around the summer of 2008 he came out for a week's visit. It was a real joy having him here and fellow shipping with he and his wife.

Anyway, he bought his trumpet with him and he and I decided to have a little trumpet and drum jam session in the garage. We went out there and he set up his laptop which has a band in the box sequence program loaded on it. He set up his sheet music, fired up a 16 bar swing - blues progression on the laptop and we began to play. It was pretty cool and we were having some good fun.

I began to notice how involved he was with the sheet music so I stopped playing and told him to remove the chart. we began to play again and the stuff really hit the fan. He didn't have a clue how to follow the progression without the written music. I mean he was really struggling just trying to keep up.

We stopped and I sat him down and told him how important having the ability to read and write music is but also how just as important it is not to allow that to become a crutch. I told him that if he is to truly find himself musically, that he has to learn to express his ideas also through what he hears and feels and that he must evolve beyond playing only what he simply sees on paper.

Yesterday, he sent me a message via facebook. below is what he said to me and below that is my reply back to him.

Hi, Don,

I went to an open mike last night in down town Baltimore. Everything you have told me about music and learning tunes has rung true. Depending on sheet music is a major crutch and prevents a musician from truly expressing their emotions. Thanks for being there to give me that music lesson.
How have you been?

Hey, David,

Glad to read you're doing well. Yes, music is like a language. One may be able to read the words, but unless those words are committed to memory, one cannot truly express the meaning and emotion behind them. Nor can one truly express his or her true self.

I've thought for a long time now that the way music classes are conducted in the public school system is an Achilles heel to these kids that want to learn to play an instrument. They're not taught or even given the opportunity to learn how to think for themselves. They are programmed to see symbols on a sheet of paper and then translate those symbols into the notes to be played. They learn how to read but not HEAR. They learn the physical techniques of playing but lack the required mental and emotional attributes needed for artistic expression and depth.

This is why we hear the term "Like a high school band" as a regular catch phrase. It's not that they play the notes wrong or even badly, it's because there's no feeling and conviction behind what's they play. realizing where you want to go also requires gaining an understanding of the roads it takes to get you there. When you couldn't get through that 16 bar blues progression without the sheet music, I immediately recognized what the problem was.

Don't get me wrong, there are a great many benefits to knowing how to read and write music. Unfortunately for many if not most, it becomes a musical crutch that they never learn how to walk without.

I'm happy you are now on the true path to discovering the music that can only be expressed through DAVID COTTI... HIS concepts, HIS emotions and His expressions. And I'm happy if I was able to help with that in some small way.

We're all doing fine.

Love you, son

Hi Nephew...

At first I thought about quoting some abstract/extract from what you wrote to David (your God-Son). But then upon actually UNDERSTANDING what you wrote... you provided the best advice that anyone could say to a young person.

When approached by MUSIC, it is important that we have our arrows in our quiver. One can never tell how the dynamics within any Language will be distorted by dialects (or opinions). The joy is to just listen and draw the right arrow (with 'feathers' properly groomed for aerodynamics).

I'm so happy that you are able to connect with David, Don. I hope he listens to you and makes a change in his approach to MUSIC, rather than be limited by "charts."

Charts are merely a roadmap when it comes to expressing oneself musically. Otherwise we're only playing the music of dead composers. When learning the basics/training, we grow to add the nuances and subtleties. David is learning this now (because he's a young man).

I have nothing more to add here except what I was encouraged to do many years ago by some precious folks who saw my potential as a frustrated keyboardist. Nuff said on that score...

Good Job Don. Everyone knows I love you as my Brother for more reasons than most can understand - even if they were willing to try. I just know what is Evident!

Sincerely with...

That's great Don. I agree the real key is memorization which is merely simple repetition. i think it is important that he keep sharpening the reading skills as well. I think the best thing is to have both eyes and ears. the musicians that do that really have it over the ones that do one or the other because they will in turn be able to write their own ideas. i think an important thing to remember is this scholastic training he has recieved is probably classically oriented. and let's face it that IS what classical musicians do, read. It's different than what you or i do but it gets some high paying gigs just the same. i think there is a way to take time for both approaches and try to use the benefits of them. they really are very different. But like you say it is important that he find his individual voice in the woods and find out what works for him. because like you noted if you can't just play a blues you ain't gettin the point!

It's interesting that most of the most truly creative musicians i have known don't read a stitch. They just feel it. i think there is room for all of it and it takes all kinds of people to make the world. just go to new orleans and hear the drummers there that never looked at a rudiment just killin it! I guess the point of my letter is to take into consideration although it is foreign to many of us "feel' players that orientation towards reading is a whole nutha world and mindset that has it's place and hopefully a true musician will learn to use the best of all worlds to blend them. I used to have a chip on my shoulder because i don't read but now since i've worked with classical musicians playing ethnic music "never written down before now!" ( that's twisted in itself), i understand the reasoning. It just speeds things up for complicated music. It seems rare when i meet a good reader that is fully rounded musically as far as creativitybut they are out there usually school teachers!! BUT it's even more rare to find a non reader that also reads! That doesn't really make sense but it also doesn't.

i think an important thing to remember is this scholastic training he has recieved is probably classically oriented. and let's face it that IS what classical musicians do, read.

Actually, Kenny much of was concert band but most of it was Jazz band. I attended MANY of their concerts in which my oldest son played (trumpet) also. I also do some reading but it's far and few between that I have to or get to work with charts. I'm certainly familiar with the idea of having to do it, though. I did an entire performance about two years ago where we had to do a Valentine's day show. We had rehearsal that same morning. We all learned the music through charts and wound up playing a very successful show that evening.

Chart's are merely a musical road map, and how can one truly enjoy the benefits of a pleasant drive while looking at a map? When I do my gigs with EC Scott, and she uses a horn section, She can't run the tunes back to back as she'd like because we have to wait for the horn players to turn to the desired music. It's a thing I really have a hard time with, how one can play a tune over and over and over again, and that tune somehow never gets committed to memory.

Different worlds I guess.

D.

I guess what i meant was western music methodology schools teach comes out of classical notation. i know it is irritating dealing with music. i've seen the stuff get blown right off the stage or painstakingly ordered big books fallover on stage and all the music scattered out. i did a gig where i was playing percussion and the wind came up and i had both hands on the other people's sheet music and grabbing duct tape of the stage to secure them during the piece. That is one bad side of working with paper memory. But i have been able to enjoy the benefits of having transcriptions recently.

You're right on about this. It is information. There is a time and a place for it but not so much in a blues. i was watching this great blues program last night and they had Lou reed singing a skip james song and he's looking down at the words and spittin em out with i'm sure alot less feeling than if he was actually familiar with the song. It was distressing to watch. i hate when i see folk singers sitting in front of a big book of lyrics. come on now you ain't foolin anyone with that!

You're right, Kenny. What up, with that?!



It's great to have a map but the sites
are not enjoyed unless you put the
thing down and get out of the car.

Regards,

I'd say that it is better to be versed in ALL aspects of the music rather than limiting myself with one way or another.

Agreed, Woody. Agreed.

Regards,