#1312: Tuesday,. November 18 - Musical chair

Post 1312, Day 322 of 2014
- 1,418 days since I started this blog -

Daily Comment

I'm thinking about how I would approach music from a perspective other than as a bass player.

For one thing, would it be different?

I think the answer is yes. Unless I approached it from the point of view of another rhythm section instrument. But that's not what I'm thinking of.

I'm thinking about singing and playing accompanying guitar.

Makes sense - I'm a weak singer and arguably a weaker guitarist. But I really, really enjoy singing, and I like playing guitar, although I'm not so interested in that except as adequate accompaniment to my vocals.

I've been making a set list (I wrote about that in this Daily Comment: http://reverendkenk.blogspot.com/2014/11/friday-november-14-enthusiasm-vs-ennui.html). I'm putting in it songs I like that I've wanted to sing.

These are all old songs, because the only new music I listen to is what is presented to me at live shows. But these are songs that moved me. And songs I think I can sing. And songs I think I can sell.

The list has a couple of songs that I heard first in their cover form, but like the original better: "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" was originally recorded by Nina Simone, but I heard it first (and liked it a lot) by the Animals.

Also, the opposite: I prefer the Staple Singers version of 'For What It's Worth' to the Buffalo Springfield original (which I also love... dearly!).

I have never heard a version of 'No Expectations' (see yesterday) that I didn't like, but I was really moved by the Rolling Stones original, even before I knew it was Brian Jones' swan song, and that only made it more attractive to me.

And there are Steely Dan tunes like 'Deacon Blues' and 'Dirty Work' that resonate so strongly with me - and are such good tunes - that I have to include at least one (probably the latter) if not more.

But I digress. Back to the approach.

On bass guitar, I always think of myself as an accompanist, and I always think of the bass as part of the rhythm section. I find my bass line by responding to the vocal and lead instrument, always being cognizant that getting the rhythm wrong is worse than hitting a wrong note.

But when I'm singing, it is up to me to determine key, pace, and melody. My interpretation, my lead. That requires me to pay attention - a lot of attention - to the lyric.

And that is all the difference. The lyric rarely influences my bass playing. I take my queue from the melody and rhythm of the lead singer or instrumentalist, and haven't found adding my own lyrical interpretation to theirs helpful. In fact, I don't know all the lyrics to a single one of the original songs played in my two mostly-original-songs bands.

I am reluctant to generalize because it seems to end up as leader vs. follower, an analysis that I don't feel applies to music, unless you reject it as a hierarchical statement. Is being the musical leader better than being the accompanist? I haven't found that, in my own musical career. The two roles are neither distinct (one person can be both at the same time) nor competitive.

In fact, I would say that being rigid about either role is the opposite of musical.

Food and Diet Section

2014 Daily Weight

Today's Weight:          204.2 lbs

Previous Weight:         204.6 lbs

Day Net Loss/Gain:       - 0.4 lbs

Diet Comment

Maintaining a good direction, despite last night's pizza. 

Food Log 

Breakfast
A cocoa-hemp-kale protein shake (coconut milk, kefir, kale, large organic egg, whey powder (24g protein), hemp seeds, hemp protein (7g protein), celery, raw organic cacao powder, fermented coconut water, chia gel, moringa leaf powder, cinnamon and stevia-inulin blend.

Lunch

Roasted turkey breast on baby kale, baby spinach, chard, black beans and cole slaw mix with balsamic vinaigrette.

Snack
A Quest bar.

Dinner
Celery and home-made mayonnaise, and a couple of Quest bars.

Liquid Intake   
Coffee:  28 oz.   Water: 56 oz. 

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