Herbie Hancock - Possibilities
The quote:
"That's how I ended up on a boat in the Gambia with Miss Piggy and Kermit, playing a portable keyboard as we floated on a river, looking for sounds to sample while I improvised a casual conversation with the Muppets." page 262
What I learnt:
HH's advice for learning how to improvise: find a player you like, copy what he or she is playing, note the patterns and the mechanics used then analyse them.
"That's how I ended up on a boat in the Gambia with Miss Piggy and Kermit, playing a portable keyboard as we floated on a river, looking for sounds to sample while I improvised a casual conversation with the Muppets." page 262
What I learnt:
HH's advice for learning how to improvise: find a player you like, copy what he or she is playing, note the patterns and the mechanics used then analyse them.
Hot Wired Guitar: The Life Of Jeff Beck, by Martin Power
The quote:
"If I had that application, I'd be a lot better [...] Unfortunately, I don't have that kind of discipline. I wander off and do something else." page 332
What I learnt:
JB can spend months away from the guitar and only plays when he's inspired. No mention anywhere of a practice routine, exercises etc...
"If I had that application, I'd be a lot better [...] Unfortunately, I don't have that kind of discipline. I wander off and do something else." page 332
What I learnt:
JB can spend months away from the guitar and only plays when he's inspired. No mention anywhere of a practice routine, exercises etc...
The Autobiography Of Quincy Jones
The quote:
"I'm a bebopper to my core, and always will be. I love and create all kinds of music, but bebop helped to define my soul and my musical destiny." page 284
What I learnt:
QJ's famous clients also became close personal friends.
"I'm a bebopper to my core, and always will be. I love and create all kinds of music, but bebop helped to define my soul and my musical destiny." page 284
What I learnt:
QJ's famous clients also became close personal friends.
The Pat Metheny Interviews, by Richard Niles
The quote:
"I understand why my parents were very worried about me when I was thirteen years old, practising ten or twelve hours a day. If one of my kids were to do that with something I didn't completely understand, I would probably be really worried too." pages 87-88
What I learnt:
PM is not that interested in guitar. He uses it because he plays it better than the trumpet or the piano.
"I understand why my parents were very worried about me when I was thirteen years old, practising ten or twelve hours a day. If one of my kids were to do that with something I didn't completely understand, I would probably be really worried too." pages 87-88
What I learnt:
PM is not that interested in guitar. He uses it because he plays it better than the trumpet or the piano.
Relentless: The Memoir, by Yngwie J. Malmsteen
The quote:
"With the money in hand, I went to the guitar store and quickly spotted the guitar I wanted. It was a brand-new Olympic White Strat with a maple neck. I was looking at it, heart thumping - practically beside myself." page 22
What I learnt:
YM's pickups on his first album (Rising Force) were DiMarzios FS-1 (Fat Strat 1) which are not hum-cancelling. I love his tone on that album.
"With the money in hand, I went to the guitar store and quickly spotted the guitar I wanted. It was a brand-new Olympic White Strat with a maple neck. I was looking at it, heart thumping - practically beside myself." page 22
What I learnt:
YM's pickups on his first album (Rising Force) were DiMarzios FS-1 (Fat Strat 1) which are not hum-cancelling. I love his tone on that album.
Black Knight: Ritchie Blackmore, by Jerry Bloom
The quote:
"I've got one ambition, if I get a house like my mum and dad's out of this business, I'll be very happy." page 121
What I learnt:
Add Jimi Hendrix and Mick Jagger to the list of RB's admirers.
"I've got one ambition, if I get a house like my mum and dad's out of this business, I'll be very happy." page 121
What I learnt:
Add Jimi Hendrix and Mick Jagger to the list of RB's admirers.
Go Ahead John: The Music Of John McLaughlin, by Paul Stump
The quote:
"I love the sound of distortion [...] If I really pushed the amp, I could get it to distort which was, for me, quite a revelation." page 27-28
What I learnt:
Mahavishnu Orchestra was considered a mainstream live act in the early 70s. Aerosmith supported them with Joey Kramer sitting behind Billy Cobham to admire his technique.
"I love the sound of distortion [...] If I really pushed the amp, I could get it to distort which was, for me, quite a revelation." page 27-28
What I learnt:
Mahavishnu Orchestra was considered a mainstream live act in the early 70s. Aerosmith supported them with Joey Kramer sitting behind Billy Cobham to admire his technique.
The Real Frank Zappa Book, by FZ with Peter Occhiogrosso
The quote:
"When you compute the length of time between the event and the nostalgia for the event, the span seems to be about a year less in each cycle. Eventually within the next quarter of a century, the nostalgia cycles will be so close together that people will not be able to take a step without being nostalgic for the one they just took. Death by nostalgia." page 203
What I learnt:
Use my local libraries more. They're still free and that's where FZ acquired his arranging and orchestration skills. I thought he was schooled.
"When you compute the length of time between the event and the nostalgia for the event, the span seems to be about a year less in each cycle. Eventually within the next quarter of a century, the nostalgia cycles will be so close together that people will not be able to take a step without being nostalgic for the one they just took. Death by nostalgia." page 203
What I learnt:
Use my local libraries more. They're still free and that's where FZ acquired his arranging and orchestration skills. I thought he was schooled.
Miles Davis: The Autobiography, by MD with Quincy Troupe
The quote:
"[Tony Williams] was the only guy in my band who ever told me 'Man, why don't you practise!' I was missing notes and shit trying to keep up with his young ass." page 264
What I learnt:
The opposite of Zappa's band-leading style: MD went to Juilliard but his band-leading approach seems esoteric and obscure whereas FZ was self-taught but meticulous in his instructions.
"[Tony Williams] was the only guy in my band who ever told me 'Man, why don't you practise!' I was missing notes and shit trying to keep up with his young ass." page 264
What I learnt:
The opposite of Zappa's band-leading style: MD went to Juilliard but his band-leading approach seems esoteric and obscure whereas FZ was self-taught but meticulous in his instructions.
The Music Lesson, by Victor L. Wooten
The quote:
"You are never more than a half-step away from a 'right' note. (...) If you land on a 'wrong' note, just step off of it in either direction, and you are 'right' again." page 44
What I learnt:
Notes are overrated. Placement, phrasing, tone, rhythm, dynamics and feel are more important.
"You are never more than a half-step away from a 'right' note. (...) If you land on a 'wrong' note, just step off of it in either direction, and you are 'right' again." page 44
What I learnt:
Notes are overrated. Placement, phrasing, tone, rhythm, dynamics and feel are more important.