Greetings, whoever-reads-this!
A pretty good day in Samland. Some actual Music News, for a change. I guess we should make it official:
Music News. My latest post on my YouTube page has gotten a lot of listens today. Approaching 1000. For me, that's a lot! I've also picked up 15 or so new subscribers. Also a lot, at least for one day. Not your usual Samland Statistics..
I enjoy the comments from people who've listened to my efforts on the guitar on YouTube. There was one question I got a particular kick out of, more rhetorical than anything:
“Fucking hell- how do you make this sound effortless?”
I started to dash off an answer, but couldn't conjure up anything to respond with. Couldn't put the words together. Mainly, I'm thinking, because it sure as hell doesn't feel effortless! Despite whatever illusion I may be creating here, I'm working at it.
Actually, the answer is a paradox. Or maybe one of them Zen Koan things. You achieve effortlessness(or at least the illusion thereof)through great effort. Practicing scales and arpeggios and patterns over and over and over again until you're sick to death of them. Hours of playing with a metronome, the frustration of trying to align yourself without rushing or dragging. Yours truly has had one hell of a time working on his time.
If you've been doing your work with the scales and whatnot, as well as Mean Old Mister Metronome, you are going to feel looser, more relaxed. But I have yet to get to the point where it feels effortless. If that even exists…I'm still working at it.
Anyway! Thanks as ever for stopping in and reading. And thanks to those folks for subscribing, if they happen to read today's blog. So, ich bin outa here. More later. 