hey all,

i just wanted to mention something that's hit me recently.  a few months back i realised i was experiencing major satisfaction with the repertoir i was playing. well after months of taking some of the music apart, i feel i have stuff to work on that should positively affect what i'm playing.  on this journey i have discovered one thing in particular.  it came from transcribing a some stuff from barry harris solo or trio tunes. a few weeks ago, i suddenly realised the value of articulation... i didn't realise this before.. sure enough, i've come across the masters talking about it, but didn't give it much thought.  and then after listening to barry over and over and over again, and transcribing, i realised it's not just enough to transcribe 'the notes'.. you have to learn 'the feel'.. and i guess articulation is a major part of this, as well as 'time' of course (another discussion i guess). now it makes sense why some stuff i transcribed in the past can sound a bit 'flat' when played... i remember oscar peterson talking about nat cole's articulation even on simple two-note motif's and how it grooved...  i guess i'm rambling a bit here... but this thought has been in the back of my head for a couple of weeks. so now, not that i'm consciously doing this, but when hearing tunes i can hear where it's happening.  i realise why some novices might avoid articulation... it's seems as though you need to learn a new skill set, same notes yes, but arranged differently?
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oops... experiencing major satisfaction
should read... experiencing major disatisfaction.
in fact, it feels like a big door has just opened... just listening to teddy wilson and lester young behind billie holiday on the tune i'll never be the same... the articulation is so obviously there, and they're all doing it, in their own individual way... where have i been all this time? where have my ears been? they feel like new ears or an 'upgrade', no longer ear 0.87, no i've got ear 1.25 :-)

this journey is great
...and it never ends:)
t2t- outstanding!!

what you've done is get past the notes and into the vocabulary.  now of course you just opened a new door and that horizon is even further away than it was before you opened that door :)

you are noticing the articulation because you've gotten past the mystery of playing notes.  now's the time to revisit all your transcriptions and play along and figure out each pianist's individual playing personality.

also, if you use this idea on stage it will make an immediate impact on your listeners.  so many pianists worry so much about the notes and harmony that they forget that how they play those notes and harmony is the foundation of everything they do.
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dr whack, i've very slowly begun to 'suspect' that what you say is true... :-) and i'm growing to respect that fact.... like the lessons i'm learning in life, it seems as though sometimes these things appear when you're kind of ready for the doors to open.

scot; yep, i've actually been saying to myself recently 'well, you've spent quite some time learning which notes to play, and now you're starting to understand a little bit about that... well, now you need to know 'how' to play the notes... i almost laughed the other day as i said this because i realise how much i've struggled looking for those 'perfect' voicings, but totally missed the fact that it's more about 'how' you play what you have...

i know you're an advocator of transcribing and now i'm totally sold on it.... i've learned so much from transcribing barry's stuff recently, it has forced me to step out of the rut i was in, and it has has brought excitement back into my practice and playing.. :-)
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