Fulfillment

I know a few of my friends who are currently in bands trying to make a big time music career and I'd have to give them some respect. Some of them have EP's some are still just playing cover gigs but they're all waiting for their lucky break. I mean these guys are extremely talented but so much of it comes down to luck. As with almost with everything, you gotta be in the right place at the right time. I'm sure a lot of bands these days have what it takes, but just aren't lucky enough. It's like a career gamble really. The jackpot being becoming international superstars, and the minimum being a local cover band playing other people's music. The thing I've been wondering about is whether if all your achievements in your music career resulted in you being the friday night local pub cover band, could you still be fulfilled by your music? Would it be any different to say being a bedroom guitarist who just uploads videos to youtube? And it all comes down to what you value. *You might find that in the course of my blog entry I tend to answer my own questions from time to time.* Of course if it is money you desire you will clearly not be content with a weekly pub/ bar gig. Your going to want the big stage, the stadium, the arena and 9/10 your not going to be happy with what you have because money - a finite material possession cannot possibly fulfil what your seeking. However, if it is music you desire as a musician, as long as you appreciate that type of music you will be content. I hold the belief that music is timeless, like in my last blog I mentioned that music had a transcendental nature about it. To me at least, money will dwindle away, but music will continue to sound forever.

I guess a lot of what I say about music can be parallelled to real life. I mean the same thing goes for any job, if all you want in your life is to attain countless amounts of money, I'm sorry but money has an end. And I really don't think your going to be able to take your money with you after your time is up. But you could spend your life doing something you loved, helping others, passing down something for future generations to find like wisdom, music, art, literature etc.. You might think it weird for me to compare music to life itself, but after all isn't life a song? It plays out in various ways, with various types of people in various cultures, and just as music is universal amongst the world, well so is life. Keep on playing till the day the music dies, although i hope it never does.

Jesse

here is my first video I posts on youtube about 4 years ago ...



http://www.jesseguitar.com

Notes on a Page

So been working on a few things lately. Couple of original pieces, a few classical ones; my friend also asked me to compose some background music for a slide show of scenic images and video footage which will be something different for a change too. I think as a musician you need to have your main style/approach to things - Something that your unique in and that you've mastered, but also have the ability to play and use other techniques too. It's like my school teachers used to tell me about life - 'try to achieve everything in something and something in everything'. I reckon the same could apply to your musical instrument. Try to really master one style and still be able to play the rest of them adequately. Although I am still wondering which style I would end up choosing. Any suggestions?

You know I've always kind of wondered what music really is. I often hear people explain that it is just 'notes on a page' - and although that is not untrue, there is definitely more to it (well in my opinion anyway). To me, the notes on a page are like a language. A language just the same as what you would find in the books of Shakespeare but musicians just have a different way of expressing it. I assimilate the notes on the page to the words on the page of a book. And instead of using speech to communicate the language, we use the various frequencies of sound that our respective instruments create. And just as the words in a book convey a meaning/message, so too do the notes on a page generate meaning when played. A lot of music cannot be expressed in words (except pop songs of course) as it is a language in another realm. Yet it  is so universal, that two people from two completely different countries could hum a tune together and 'speak' to each other through the mystery of music. I'm sure you might have experienced a time where only a song could explain your feelings or your pain and again I think it reveals how music has a sort of transcendent nature to it - something beyond our sound understanding. Well I think it's quite interesting but maybe that's just me.

See ya next week
Jesse Liang
www.jesseguitar.com

http://www.youtube.com/user/JesseGuitar07

Moving through the days

The year has already started moving on quickly. I was fortunate enough to get a permanent place at the music school where I was filling in so now I feel a bit more secure knowing I'll have a certain amount of money each week - which however will probably all go to my fuel costs. Oh well, life goes on.

I've been listening to the radio a lot lately and i keep hearing these songs that most people would classify a fairly good song, and I've been wondering whether these songs are actually good or whether we just perceive them as a good song because of the band. I genuinely like the song 'Viva La Vida' but i am not to sure whether there would have been as much hype about if a less known band had written the same song in stead. It seems that a band's status or reputation already raises the perceived quality of a song which can sometimes make it hard (well at least for me) to distinguish between a good song and a great one. Of course music should be analysed irrespectively to the band or artist but i guess we just can't help it.

As i mentioned in an earlier blog, I'm having a hard time working out what kind of style/band I would see myself playing in. And of lately the idea of a Trio seems appealing. Kind of toned down, pop/jazz/atmospheric music. I guess since I am getting into jazz a bit now i've been influenced by that but also the idea of having less people is appealing too. I mean having less people to contact, less equipment to lug around seems more my thing. Im not a big fan complicated set-ups and equipment but this is still just an idea and knowing me I might change my mind in a couple of days.

I was also lucky enough to get given $1000 USD gift card from Youtube to fund my film and recording equipment. I actually read the email quite late as and it said the expiry date was the 1st of Feb, so i was shattered but i tired anyway and so far it still seem to have worked. It said 'order confirmed' so I'm hoping i still get my stuff. I ordered a new camera lens for my SLR to make the filming look nicer and Digitech loop Pedal to help with writing music. Also got a couple of better quality leads too. I'm kinda nervous as to whether the order is going to go through but all I can do is sit and wait really. Still in the process of making the new video, and if 'm lucky I can use tje new lens in the next video :) so stay tuned.

Jesse Liang
www.jesseguitar.com/
 http://www.youtube.com/user/JesseGuitar07

Good Music?

Too often I will listen to the radio and hear a song that I think just really doesn't deserve to be played on air.  Do people really like to listen to this? What is so good about the song? Sure, it has a catchy phrase but the rest of it may as well have been digitally created. I mean, how is the quality of music judged these days? Well if it's on the radio i'm guessing it's just based on some kind of commercial image or sound, but I want to know what separates the good music from the bad. It seems that in all art, the 'masterpieces' are the ones that have stood the test of time. For literature - something like the works of Shakespeare, for philosophy - something like Plato's or Aristotle's writings, and for music we have people like Bach, Mozart, Beethoven. I don't think we can doubt the greatness of these works. Musicians all around the world still appreciate and play these pieces by these great musicians. Their legend and influence hasn't died yet and I don't see it dying for sometime. But what about say The Beatles? or Jimi Hendrix? They revolutionised the music and guitar world and their music is also still played today. Now I don't know if they are going to last as long as Bach or Mozart but they certainly have left quite a mark in the world of music. So what makes them so great? Could it just be because they were the first of their  kind to produce that kind of music? Does inventing a style of music necessarily make you a first class band or musician? Surely it can't alone. It appears that they more so defined an Era. That their music was a turning point for the music world, that they changed the music paradigm of their time. It might be that their songs are actually respected as a part of history as opposed to just quality of music. (Don't get me wrong, I highly admire the music of both the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix). So it could be that because they have a history attached to their sound that they are regarded as 'greats' or 'legends'. It does seem a little bit unfair however for those who might be just as good but who will never receive the same credit. And maybe it is because they can't. Not that there is an end to music (at least in my opinion) just that they can't break free of the current paradigm of music. If everyone is playing the same (or roughly) thing, then no matter how good you are , you're not going to stand out (of course with a few exceptions). So i often find myself being careful when I'm judging music and comparing it to the 'greats' because they might be just as good however they just lack the... innovation, uniqueness, the ability to change a world's view on music <= (I was struggling to describe that part) Anyway, so I guess it ends up being 'what' the musician/s does (as well as being awesome) as opposed to 'how good they are' that makes them a legend.

Is it work or fun?

So I just got back from my first day of teaching at a music school and well.. I think it has given me a slight insight into the life of a working musician. It actually wasn't all that stressful given that half my students scheduled were still on holidays which means I had about 2 hours break in which I just practiced and still got paid for it.. So work doesn't seem to bad - I know that is just being naive and that after some time it's going to feel like a drag but I honestly enjoy teaching guitar, whether it's at the school or privately. I wonder though if it is because I am not studying music that I still find it more of a hobby than work even though it is making me money? A lot of music teachers (public or private) would be aspiring musicians you know.. currently in a music course or just finishing their music degree, or perhaps even with a doctorate in music. But here I am studying Urban Planning for 5 years and still to following my passion for music. Actually I guess part of the reason why I didn't study music is because I felt that if music became my day to day work it wouldn't be as enjoyable anymore. Some of you may strongly disagree, but as far as I have heard not many people like their jobs. I guess I wouldn't mind it that way, work my usual shift, then go play a gig for fun. I think it is more enjoyable to play a gig not because you have to but because you can. Not to worry about when your next one is so you can pay your rent, but to be able to play for the shear intrinsic enjoyment of it. Maybe it is just the psychology of it all. My music is almost like my get away from all the reading, writing, studying.. and therefore I still enjoy it. Not to say I wouldn't if I studied it, but I suspect I would enjoy it more now than if I were aiming to make a full time career out of it. For now i'm just going to keep music as music and see how I go from there.

Jesse Liang
www.jesseguitar.com
http://www.youtube.com/user/JesseGuitar07

One of Those Days

So it's one of those days where you have all the time in the world to do stuff, but nothing really gets done. More time is spent thinking about what to do than doing what you are thinking. I have another month and a half before I start university again, so in the mean time I have my job at the music school (starting next week), and my private tutoring at home. I also have many things which I would like to eventually record, but when you are a one man band its not easy to come up with each and every part on your own. But i guess if there is ever a time when I will actually have the time to record these things, it is in these 1 and a half months before Uni. I've heard that the second  year of University is a lot harder than first year, and that finding time to fit in study and a part time job is hard enough. Guess I'm going to have to figure out some way to squeeze in practice for my grade 8 AMEB and my general recordings and songwriting for youtube into my study and work schedule so wish me luck.

During these days when spend most of the time thinking, I often wonder what kind of music I would like to create. Or, if I ever made it as a musician: what kind of music would I be playing? I guess i ponder over this because I appreciate all sorts of music and love playing all genres. And when I find myself writing stuff it is never consistent with a certain genre. It ranges from Pop Vocal Music - to New age world music - to classical - to easy listening acoustic - to theatrical sound tracks. I mean you can understand how I am in a bit of a musical identity crisis. It is frustrating at times, but at the same time it leaves my options open. If I fail in one, I have several more styles to try. So slowly you might see different sorts of music appear on my youtube channel, and you might think 'what is he playing....?'. But really I am just giving everything a go. Cause I ain't going to know if anyone likes any of my music unless I put it up right? I'm aware that I can't make everyone happy with my music, but the way I see it is: if your music has at least made one person smile, one person happy, or is enjoyed in someway by at least one person, then the effort was not a total waste, and plus you can at least say you tried.
That's all for now till next week.

Jesse Liang

On the Way Home

I'd have to say I'm still very much in the holiday mood. You know - enjoying the freedom, not having a schedule etc. When I return home I will still have another month and a half before I start Uni so my 'holiday' itself is not necessarily over when I return in a few days. I was lucky enough to get a part-time subcontracting job at a music school teaching for the remainder of my holidays which will give me time to look for other jobs. Well I teach privately as well but with the amount of petrol I use and the amount it costs, one job just isn't enough sadly. 

I intend to play more gigs as well as they pay quite well, but honestly, I didn't realise how tiring it would be until I started a couple months back. I played a 3 hour Latin/Flamenco duo with a friend and by the end of it, well.. I've actually never been so tired of playing guitar. But I guess that's part of the job sometimes, you just gotta push through and enjoy the music even if it is not exactly what you feel like playing. That being said, the gig went pretty smoothly. The wedding that I played at last sunday (unfortunately no video) went pretty well too. It kind of helped that everyone was talking and not staring at me as I could just relax and play as if I was in my own room - which is where I usually play best. I have a feeling it is the same in most forms of art, that we (as artists) perform best when we do not think about what we are playing/saying/singing. We just appreciate the moment, and enjoy the music for what it is, to grasp and acknowledge the intrinsic value of our instruments and music. In many school performances I regret being on stage and constantly worrying about what other people were thinking about my playing. I found those performances were the ones I was least happy with. Then there were the times where I was carefree, and even though I made a few undesirable noises and hiccups, the 'performance' itself was far more enjoyable. Because I hold this philosophy of music I deeply admire Tommy Emmanuel. Not only are his pieces reflections of something beyond this world, when I watch him perform, it is almost like he and his instrument are a single entity. The passion he exerts, the feeling he generates, in combination with the virtuosic playing create something beyond words. Something I wish I could replicate. But as they say - 'The Journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step' and I guess so does the practicing. 

Jesse Liang

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ADMSNf7_tE