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I was on another guitar related forum the other day, a guitar related forun that has the reputation of being a bit "materialistic,'" where guys and gals love to show off their fancy guitfiddles and amps, etc. Anyway, this jerk over there was asserting that jazzers just want to show off on stage that they can play a bunch of fancy solos, etc, and that we are all about our egos and showing off how we can play fancy solos, etc.
OMG, where do I start debunking that crap? I can say 100% that is false because that is 100% false for me. For me, it doesn't have anything to do with anyone else, it has to do with my passion to become as good of a guitar player as I possibly can, as a challenge to myself, not for the purposes of showing of to other people, but a challenge to myself to see how fluwnt I can become at the language. That pretty much sums it up for me, I really enjoy playing jazz because, #1, I enjoy the music and, #2, because its the most challenging improvised music that I there is. I love challenging myself to see how fluent I can get with the language of jazz on my instrument.
Are you a jazzer just becasue you want to show off to people how fancy you can play, etc? Is that what attracts you to playing jazz music, to be able to show off to others? Is it all just an exercise in narcissism for you powered by guitar, or are there some deeper meanings for you in it somewhere?
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09-16-2025 05:47 PM
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I didn't pick jazz. Jazz picked me. It fits the way I am wired. I can't do much if someone is insecure about themselves when I play. I am not even sure I would know if they were unless they said something to expose it.
Also, I would have to think hard to figure out what I could to do show off doing anything at all. It would be tough outside of being with my two brothers and four sisters. That is when everyone shows off from many different angles.
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Same amount of ego in jazz as any genre, neither more nor less
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The difference between sound and noise is the perception of order. If someone understands the intention that a player puts into their playing, that listener hears sound and they're being spoken to.
If someone has no idea of what's going on, is unaware of the intention or the language that's being spoken, that person can only hear, not listen; they're being spoken at.
Jazz takes an active mind to play, to listen and to enjoy.
I went to a music school and I can tell you frankly, there were a lot of young players, learning jazz for the first time... and playing a lot of crap, playing it faster, playing it louder, playing it higher seems like a necessary part of learning. It comes as part of the game long before you learn space and taste.
Y'know, there's a lot of jazz I don't get. There's also a lot of jazz playing that, to be honest, I hear only as showing off, or is played without much intelligible design. I just hear notes, trying to run changes. So I kinda get it.
But there's a lot of music I didn't like when I was younger and I didn't get it. I listen to it now and it's really engaging. I HATED Bartok when I was young. Now it's pure inspiration.
Yeah you can fault the listener. The bar IS set higher for jazz. There's nothing you can do. If you don't respect them, don't engage. If you don't like them, don't play with them. They may become avid listeners someday.
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Well one of two outcomes. He will eventually ‘get it’ or he has already missed the bus.
either way, no big deal. The other forum with lots of fascination with equipment contains a very broad spectrum of opinion.
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I ignore that kind of stuff.
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I'm guessing you meant to write "The difference between music and noise is the perception of order."
Originally Posted by Jimmy blue note
But yeah, great post. The cool thing about ^^^that aphorism is that it doesn't matter who is perceiving the order: It might be the composer/performer. It might be the listener. It's entirely possible (and often, quite likely) that it's one but not the other.
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Originally Posted by AdroitMage
Don’t concern yourself with people who have already decided they don’t like you.
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I'm a horrible person, but sometimes someone says something like that at a party or wherever. Usually my response is to inform them that the tab to the Cinnamon Girl solo is up on Ultimate Guitar Originally Posted by AllanAllen
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The Cinnamon Girl solo is one of the finest in Rock. The buildup... coming after the B section makes it so strong, beautiful, and perfect. Originally Posted by StormyMonday
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Don't waste your time trying to respond to ignorance. It's like the old joke about teaching a pig to whistle.
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Dude obviously can't solo a lick or he wouldn't be voicing a dumb opinion. A lotta chugga chugga types seem to mostly not be able to solo anymore, since fewer and fewer people people are willing to put any effort into learning anything demanding. I wouldn't waste my time trying to explain something like that to anyone with that mentality, it'll just draw their ire.
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Since it's an online thing for you....
I'm in one of those life places where you're kinda stuck online. I just had neck surgery to try to get feeling back into my hands so I can keep playing. It might work, shit I hope it works, but for the next several months I'm in a bed looking at the guitars on the wall, unable to play them. So since Faux News isn't going to happen I surf, doomscroll, whatever until I'm totally despondent. Without music that doesn't take long, but what this has taught me is when I see stuff online that bugs me I just move on before it settles in. There are so many negative things to respond to and doing so is actually a waste of our precious time. And this adventure is showing me just how precious that time is. So my real advice would be delete your browswer history for that particular site and enjoy the fantastic information here instead. And play, play, play like there's no tomorrow. Because who knows?
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Show off to???
The other 16 people who like jazz?
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Originally Posted by AdroitMage
Has that guy never listened to rock? Showoffs galore there.
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Praying for a speedy, and successful recovery for you! Originally Posted by StormyMonday
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No, but I cannot say that I've never done that. And I sure can't say that I've never seen somebody do that. Originally Posted by AdroitMage
Most days somebody calls me an asshole. I have tried to build a life in which I am able to respond, "Yes, but not all the time."
Nicely said! Originally Posted by lammie200
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Imagine the arrogant, show-off jazz guitarist. He is dressed more or less like any other professional person, maybe wearing a tie even. He is seated in a chair, maybe to the side of the drummer or bassist. His amp has no special effects, no rack of processors, no foot switches or pedal boards... just a cable. He lays out on the head to defer to the pianist, comps behind the soloist often exchanging comping duties with the pianist, sitting in the rhythm section, he might not solo on every tune. If he's lead, he is still likely to want the whole ensemble to look and sound good. He has a capable amp, maybe turned to 4 or 5 since people are eating, talking, etc. at the venue. He plays the head, comps, maybe accompanies a singer, takes his solos....
Compare to the typical rock guitarist. What was that again about showing off?
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I wonder if that guy has even tried to play any jazz-I doubt it. Originally Posted by EastwoodMike
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I sometimes go to see jam bands, some are pretty good musicians and we like being around young folks sometimes. But if you're looking for show off, home run. Let's just camp out on the V chord for 45 minutes while the guitarist makes sure he uses all 162 pedals on his 4 boards (keeps it interesting), sings the 4 bar verse and does a 22 minute outro of the same solo but with a different delay setting. Epic! A little kidding of course but heck maybe we all need the occasional ego stroke.
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TBH people who can't actually play are always keen to accuse others who can of showboating.
Mind you I grew up in the 90s..... the post grunge era was a funny time to be a guitarist...
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That’s why I don’t tune my guitar, I don’t want to lose my roots. Originally Posted by Christian Miller
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not sure that you can. My reply to a post like that would be one word: "Jealous?" Originally Posted by AdroitMage
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I'd laugh in their face..with all the heavy metal noodlers out there bathed in ego , and noise not talent they have no room.
While I play all genres , to me Jazz is the pinnacle
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