(11-28-2018, 11:21 AM)deanhills Wrote: My music likes and preferences change all of the time, depending where I am, what mood I am. I'd say I like most music, but country western type music I've never really developed a liking for so far or popular pop music. I'm crazy about the electric guitar and heavy metal music. And the classics. That has been reasonably constant over the years. Gary Moore stands out for sure with his Parisienne Walkways. Instrumentals and also piano classics. Lately I've come to like cello rock music as well. Apolyptica is my favourite band for now. Specifically Eicca Toppinen the lead composer. This guy has a fantastic gift for composing music. But it never stops, I discover someone new all of the time - or maybe not new - just I didn't know them from before. Internet makes this magic for me, particularly YouTube. Once you discover someone you can play on forever. I like what they do with piano playing specifically - one gets to see the artist's hands. Totally mesmerizes me. So it's both an experience of the great music as well as the performer and performance. Here's a good example - Hugh Laurie in serious blues form. Saint James Infirmary. Wow!
If I'm asked silly questions, like what my favorite band is or what my favorite song is, I tell people that the answer is subject to change at a moment's notice.
I don't really have a favorite.
I will say that there is some sadness involved in being a professional musician. For the most part, some of the joy of listening to music has gone. It's a chore. It's work. I can't not listen to it and analyze it. I can't not watch a video and look for flaws. I can't really appreciate music like I used to.
That's actually a heavy price that I've paid. I don't regret it, but it is how it is. I don't even really like listening to new music. It's like work. It's worse when people expect me to give my professional opinion on the work.
Sometimes, the magic is still there. That's usually fleeting. It's usually work. That's what I've paid to be where I am with music. Yesterday, I listed to Weezer's Sweater Song - 30 times. I listened to the intro another 30 times. I didn't hate the song before, but right now I hate it. I just have to have it perfected by this weekend. So, that's what I need to do.
Today, I played the entire song - 12 times. Worse... I played it 12 times in a row. (That's where I was for those hours.)
When I go on stage, I don't think about what I am playing. It's muscle memory. I'll play it another dozen times this afternoon.