Hello Everyone!
Very interesting topic here. First off, Daklander, thanks for encouraging Tigar to get involved and contribute a bit more on these boards. That's always a good thing to before, during and after becoming "famous & successful"!
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Jerry, (aka LyricFinder) thanks for posting a very cool demo file of Tigar playing his fiddle. Yeah, it's great stuff and I wish I could play like that! I like to think I play well too, but I'll explain that further below.
Tigar, welcome to JPF! You seem to have plenty of connections, talent and experience, etc. From what little I heard so far, your violin playing is very cool and obviously you've got enough artistic talent to light up more than one fire!
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Some things I'd like to contribute today:
1. Regarding our level of musical talent, it's an on-going process. I thought I was pretty good 20 years ago, and today I'm better, but in different & unexpected ways. For example, 20 years ago I was playing mostly cover material as a "back up" violinist with other bands. Today I'm responsible for most of my own songwriting, arranging, composing and in many cases, solo playing, or me playing several tracks to mix up a small ensemble, duos, trios and/or quartets, etc.
Wow, that's a whole different ball game.
Am I better at it then what I did before?? Maybe, but maybe not. It's just different, but it's challenging me to go beyond anything I've ever dreamed of, even as little as 4 years ago!
2. We all have various talents and strengths. The coolest thing is to network, share and learn from each other. That's priceless, you can't pay for that kind of interaction, opportunities and collaboration results. Let's do what we need to do to keep going professionally or at least keep us going in our chosen direction. At the same time, let's network, share, learn and inspire each other to greater achievements.
3. Finally, my 2 cents on violin playing:
There's a big difference in the following kinds of performance:
1. Playing classical vs. Country or Pop.
2. Playing Solo vs. Back up.
3. Playing Blues vs. Blue grass.
4. Playing Jazz vs. Folk music.
Again, the point is that a great violinist who "shines" in one specialty may sound just average (by comparison) in another style or genre. It all depends on what you grew up with and what you've decided to "focus" on at a later (adult) level.
Thanks everyone for keeping this fun, friendly and inviting for all of us!
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Best regards,
Michael Borges
[This message has been edited by Michael Borges (edited 09-17-2003).]