Mike, I think Socrates had it right when he defined an "educated" person as someone who realizes how little they know. Not a bad motto but a rather daunting, frightful, and a profoundly beautiful and ironically hopeless one.
Nevertheless, you and and I have talked extensively about these matters on long drives. It's always astonished me that in your relentless and noble search, what you are trying to attain is staring you (and the rest of us) slam in the face. John Hartford adored you. Every musician that I've talked to that toils in the same field as us has towering admiration for you. The affect that you have, if not acknowledged by you, exists whether you choose to accept it or not. I hope that would provide a bit of comfort. All of us, and I hope we can all agree, are pattern seeking mammals. Music (and I guess all art for that matter) rests very comfortably in the minds that are adept at this recognition. For me as of late, the beauty and challenge of art/music/mandolins is trying to get away from a "pattern". And it's that impetus which, I think, allowed humans to start creating art in the first place. The idea of this responsibility can reduce the strongest willed person to utter terror and shear panic. It ruins as many lives as it saves. Hence, our brother Vincent, n'est pas? When Mark Twain was 34, after all he had accomplished by that age wrote in a letter to his sister in law that he wished he had ever done anything to "linger in any one's mind as pleasant memory." As my dear father said at my brother's wedding, "Life is a struggle". God damn right. You're not alone and I wish you would cease the self reproachment. Improvingly (and lovingly), Miles Long On Wed, Jan 20, 2010 at 1:01 AM, Robin Gravina <[email protected]>wrote: > I think the only way to make a step up is by hard conscious work. I > can only admire the attitude that says 'i'm not as good as I could be, > so let's get working'. Things can get too comfortable once you are > competent and there is always change going on: for better or worse, > but change all the same. > > > 2010/1/20, Linda <[email protected]>: > > I feel exactly like what tater expresses but I really deserve it, and > > am doing something about it. > > Maybe thats just the way of it, cycles of pursuit followed by > > lassitude, don't know.. but I hear it, it sounds honest, and I wish I > > could be starting from where you are instead of where I am. > > linda > > > > On Jan 20, 2:47 pm, Bill Burnette <[email protected]> wrote: > >> Far be it from me to argue with a per-fesh-un-al such as yerself, but I > >> still think when it comes to music, when you think about it too much, > you > >> lose part of the soul. I suspicion that most of us hang around here more > >> for > >> the inspiration we derive from your music than from your good looks, > charm > >> and personality... ;) > >> > >> Bill in Nashville > >> > >> On Tue, Jan 19, 2010 at 7:41 PM, Mark Seale <[email protected]> > wrote: > >> > Tater - > >> > >> > I don't know what brought this on, and from the sounds of it, I don't > >> > want > >> > to. Now, I'm not going to tell you not to practice and keep working, > >> > everybody has to do that. But I will say that what you do inspires a > >> > bunch > >> > of us to play music musically. Listening to you and really hearing > what > >> > you > >> > do got me out of the "shove as many notes in as possible and play as > >> > fast as > >> > possible mode." Your rhythm and drive and right hand shed a whole new > >> > light > >> > on music for me. And for that, I'm eternally grateful. Sure, when > >> > compared > >> > to a classical, pristine piece what you do sounds raw, but that's what > >> > draws > >> > so many of us to it. > >> > >> > Keep doing what you're doing and always strive to do it better > tomorrow > >> > than you did today. > >> > >> > Mark > >> > >> > On Tue, Jan 19, 2010 at 7:25 PM, mistertaterbug > >> > <[email protected]>wrote: > >> > >> >> Okay, I've decided to go back to the drawing board. It's been looming > >> >> on the horizon for some time, bugging me, nagging at me in the back > of > >> >> my mind, one of those things that I know needs doing. So here goes... > >> > >> >> While it's true that I've taken some flack of late from uneducated > >> >> n'er-do-wells with snappy comments regarding the "slop" I play and > how > >> >> I'm apparently luckier than Kenny G in my musical success based upon > >> >> my apparent lack of ability to be an actual musician, this is not the > >> >> basis for my conclusion that things need to change. There's a lot of > >> >> things that need changing around here really, and the musical aspect > >> >> is only one of the pieces of the puzzle. I'm getting fed up with > >> >> feeling like the weak link in so many chains, not all of them > musical. > >> >> Call it a delayed New Year's Resolution list, if you will. > >> > >> >> As middle age comes and settles in more firmly I find myself wanting > >> >> to play better, to understand more, to feel a connection with what > I'm > >> >> doing that's not been there in quite some time. Yes, I've been > winging > >> >> it. But then I suppose I've not fooled everybody judging by the > latest > >> >> flurry of comments and my own personal feelings of musical unrest. I > >> >> need a feeling of belonging to what I'm doing, I need to feel I'm > >> >> doing it well, that it's a part of me. So far, no cigar. > >> > >> >> I sat here today and played "Black Joke w/Variations" as I do every > >> >> couple days(or so...there's part of the problem right there; lack of > >> >> consistency and regularity) and made a greater effort to play the > >> >> notes cleanly and with character. Egad. You'd think I never saw this > >> >> exercise before. I used to play at it every day, every morning first > >> >> thing, out on the porch with the mando and the 'dola to do my ritual, > >> >> my mando-meditation. But now I'm playing it and paying attention to > >> >> detail in a different way. I am reworking my right hand some due to > >> >> feeling some wear and tear over the last 38 years and it's hard, REAL > >> >> hard. I'm working on making it work smoothly and relaxed, but feeling > >> >> strong and sure. I'm watching my pick angle. I'm watching how much > >> >> motion I use to make the strokes, how I cross over strings to get to > >> >> the next, listening to the sound of the notes, the evenness of the > >> >> tremolo(or not, in this case), watching my pick angle, etc. > Everything > >> >> I can think of. And I know that the more I work, the more things will > >> >> turn up that need attention. > >> > >> >> Truth is, I spend a lot of time working, but not efficiently. I waste > >> >> 30 minutes here, an hour there not focused on anything. Now I don't > >> >> mean to say that putting one's brain out of gear now and again is not > >> >> a good idea, but being on auto-pilot all the time, not filtering what > >> >> goes in and comes out, is not really a good idea. So, the tune books > >> >> are out, the paper is out, the iTunes list is open, lyrics are at > easy > >> >> reach. I'm not sure I even know how to accomplish what I want to get > >> >> done. If I sit and ponder it too hard the task will just seem like > too > >> >> much of a mountain to climb. Maybe in pieces small enough to chew is > >> >> the way to go, but I feel like now I have to chew all the time to get > >> >> ahead and see real success, real progress. Real progress will instill > >> >> passion for success. > >> > >> >> I find I've got a lot more things I want to get done, and feeling I'm > >> >> playing at the level I think I should be is high on the list. I have > >> >> raised my standards for myself. I have quite a collection of material > >> >> I want to learn and explore. The list grows and I just sit and watch > >> >> it without whittling any of it away. I know myself well enough to > know > >> >> that this will all nag me in the back of my mind until I do something > >> >> about it. Here I go... > >> > >> >> mistertaterbug > >> > >> >> -- > >> >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > >> >> Groups > >> >> "Taterbugmando" group. > >> >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > >> >> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > >> >> [email protected]<taterbugmando%[email protected]> > <taterbugmando%[email protected]<taterbugmando%[email protected]> > > > >> >> . > >> >> For more options, visit this group at > >> >>http://groups.google.com/group/taterbugmando?hl=en. > >> > >> > -- > >> > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > >> > Groups > >> > "Taterbugmando" group. > >> > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > >> > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > >> > [email protected]<taterbugmando%[email protected]> > <taterbugmando%[email protected]<taterbugmando%[email protected]> > > > >> > . > >> > For more options, visit this group at > >> >http://groups.google.com/group/taterbugmando?hl=en. > > > > -- > Enviado desde mi dispositivo móvil > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Taterbugmando" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]<taterbugmando%[email protected]> > . > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/taterbugmando?hl=en. > > > >--
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