September 27ths

9/27/2021            
          
Finally reading one of Neil Peart’s books, Roadshow about their 2004 tour. I liked the bit about “tryism”. I tried the “trying not to try” (wu wei) and never got anything done and never led anywhere interesting. Even if you simply coast to the next destination, you find yourself trying something during the day, regardless of whether it’s creative or not. What I find remarkable about him is how he can be both intellectual and also do the hard work of playing shows every day for six months. I always thought it was about compartmentalization, but in fact, you can do both simultaneously.    

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There was an apparently young bass player on Quora and his question was: “I’m scared of the fingerboard and the strings because I’m afraid I won’t be good at it...” This seems so foreign to me that someone would be thinking that way. Perhaps it’s the initial motivation, and when that motivation involves the idea of guaranteed success, it kills the mood. You must immediately demonstrate success or the whole endeavor is pointless. People see what other players are doing and they want to do those things, but everyone’s hands are different and you have to work around them.             

The question remains whether the music would have been better if I didn’t study music formally. De-skilled artists cut to the chase, perhaps to experience success with a modicum of effort.

9/27/2022 

It’s interesting how the music in language actually drives the music. It becomes the “scaffold” in which music can be formed. With my roots in progressive rock and jazz, and later into ambient music and classical, I think like an instrumentalist by default. What started with 16 words over 11 bars, spun out into 5 minutes. 

9/27/2025

Oktoberfest weekend--St. Alphonsus in Lakeview. The bands were a kids' band and an 80s cover band. I was wondering if you covered AI-generated 80s music anyone would tell the difference, because once you perform something it takes music out of its illusion. Recordings are all illusions regardless of whether they were generated with AI. The younger people there might have never heard of The Eurythmics.  Also went to Oaktoberfest in Oak Park with Zydeco band. World music (including jazz) aren't recording illusions.

Interesting image at the church: I thought this was a person standing there at first. Interesting that the statue (of St. Alphonsus?) appears to be holding a smartphone, and the screen was torn. The oscillating fan was moving back and forth...)