Topic: what the oldins might have done

[blueshome]

"While others get fixated on playing the wrong version?"

The "wrong" version is the one that satisfies neither the player nor the intended listener, doesn't matter what you or I think.

In the recent posts on this the only "should" has been my light hearted encouragement to Rivers that he should buy a tricone.

I think we are all well aware of performers who reduce everything into either a quasi-Delta or rock-sounding performance and claim that they are adding their own thing to it, or, worse still, taking the music forward. Also we all know those who have not listened and practiced hard enough to break away from unconsciously sounding cliche-ed and having rock phrasing and timing.

There is difference between mastering the style of a player and becoming a slavish imitator (were one capable of that, it would seem to be a waste of talent) - the only way to acquire the vocabulary and syntax of this music is to be able to understand the styles of the players we enjoy and yes, this may include learning songs note for note.

[Rivers]

The key word here is "exercise". I'm the last person to slavishly copy anybody but I know a good trick when I hear it that I would like to incorporate into my playing.

Once you've "mastered" something, what does that really mean? To me it means you can do it without thinking and no matter how laborious the process of getting there it is now part of your palette. Surely that's how we steal learn anything worthwhile from the great masters, either directly or through a teacher.

As soon as you've "mastered" something to the limits of your talent & ability, grasshopper, you are then free to use it, alter it, toss it into whatever context, or not, as you see fit. Native instincts are irrelevant when the brain tells you something else is superior. Unless of course you're reaching for some kind of primitivism, that's a whole other deal.

[we should probably move this topic to the main forum or somewhere, once I figure out how to do it]
[moved, and added a new tag 'interpretation'  ]