Laura says:
You’ve played a very broad range of styles, with many other well-known
artists, and in some world-reknown places.
Do you, after so many years as a professional musician, still play for
your own pleasure, and if so, what are you most likely to play?
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Hi Laura,
Slow blues improvisation, Bach or Classical improvisation. When I play for my own enjoyment I like to let my mind free and those three things do it for me. Sometimes I’ll try to find a series of notes or chords I don’t think I’ve ever played before, and see what happens. Sometimes I might play a slow blues for 45 minutes straight and get a “drone” going for my mind to escape, or sometimes switch between styles every ten seconds as a mental game.
When I play for myself I’m more interested in shapes and mental imagery of the music, than I am of notes. When I play for other people it has to sound good to THEM, but when I play for myself, it only has to be interesting for me. So sometimes it becomes a math/shape game for me, and probably only sounds good to me…..