I watch a lot of live music – I mean really watch. And I listen too – really listen. Some performances are moving and some not so much. Oddly, there’s not a perfect correlation to talent level or competence. I have watched beginners give their all and it was wonderful to behold (even when the music wasn’t all that great) and I have seen musicians with amazing talent play and not be compelling at all.
I’m a performer too, and I worry a lot about making sure I give enough and express myself – I want to be an artist. But sometimes, I’m too caught up in having a great time to remember to be an artist. When I sing a song – I do feel it (I wouldn’t be singing otherwise) – does that make me an artist? I don’t know.
If a performer gives a great performance because they rehearsed long and hard, is that less “artistic” than a performer who is winging it from the depths of their soul? Are the two mutually exclusive? It’s a very ethereal and very subjective thing, isn’t it?
Do musicians generally considered to be great artists think about being an artist? Somehow, I think they do, to some degree. Somewhere along the line, they make decisions about what to play and how to play based upon how it matches up with their muse, and I think that may be at the heart of artistry.
Do real artists have a path in mind and doggedly pursue that path, or are they more likely to just always keep moving and see where their path winds? I’m more of the latter – I have general ideas of what I want to play and how I want to play, but I have often been pleasantly surprised by things that didn’t turn out like I intended – and decided the alternative was better than the original idea – is that artistic, or just wishy washy?
Most musicians I consider to be great artists talk about making sure every note matters, and I know they mean not just making the note’s not sour. So, every song, every solo, should be focused, cogent and move a story or a journey forward. Hard to disagree with that, but gee, I have a hard to remember that lofty ideal everytime I play. I do get caught up sometimes in just making sure I don’t suck and have people streaming for the exits with their hands over their ears.
Sometimes, just sometimes, I am able to tap into a place where my years of experience are brought to bear and I am able to express myself without a conscious thought towards the mechanics of the event. But it’s a luxury and it’s a place that is sometimes closed off to me. But the times I have felt like a true artist are so wonderful, I don’t mind chasing that feeling for the rest of my life.
