The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #51

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    The other thing that Pat demonstrates in this interview is the vivid, detailed memory that you see in those who are at the top of their field. Ask Michael Jordan about any inconsequential mid-season game that occurred throughout his career and he could tell you about it in great detail. Same with other great athletes, musicians, etc.
    Last edited by Mark M.; 08-23-2021 at 06:31 PM.

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  3. #52

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    Quote Originally Posted by Christian Miller
    Given gig food otw probably a good move health wise…. I have to say it’s hard to play after inhaling a whole pizza in the time between sound check and downbeat
    Funny and so true for most but in his case - for the past 30 years he got the full monty re transportation, accommodation, catering etc. when he travels "officially", i.e. his agent sends him off to a gig.
    Well ok, not the private plane but not coach either.
    I once met him at the airport in Rome some 20 years ago and we talked for a while, about his being on the road all the time (amongst other things) and he was totally cool and relaxed about it, said he's living the dream. On another occasion I met Steve Swallow one day in early April and he said he's been to Europe the 5th time that year already, playing single gigs and delivering commissioned
    compositions. He'd rather stay at his house in Woodstock and compose but he had to travel to make a living ... didn't like it very much. Pat is quite the Super Star in the jazz world and his status is growing all the time it seems - deservedly so IMHO.

  4. #53

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    Quote Originally Posted by grahambop
    I assume he’s referring to the Wynton Marsalis/neobop revivalist thing that happened around then.
    I took it as referring to the end of the generation gap in American culture as the generation immediately following the baby boom came of age, with music and pop culture in general ceasing to be a bone of contention between parents and kid. The first gig I ever played was in 1980, so the comment did jump out at me. I was actually born during the baby boom, but at the tail end, and did not feel any sense of the inter-generational conflict people only a few years older than I am did. So, it sort of fits with my experience, but it seems kind of facile.

  5. #54

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    Quote Originally Posted by gitman
    Funny and so true for most but in his case - for the past 30 years he got the full monty re transportation, accommodation, catering etc. when he travels "officially", i.e. his agent sends him off to a gig.
    Well ok, not the private plane but not coach either.
    I once met him at the airport in Rome some 20 years ago and we talked for a while, about his being on the road all the time (amongst other things) and he was totally cool and relaxed about it, said he's living the dream. On another occasion I met Steve Swallow one day in early April and he said he's been to Europe the 5th time that year already, playing single gigs and delivering commissioned
    compositions. He'd rather stay at his house in Woodstock and compose but he had to travel to make a living ... didn't like it very much. Pat is quite the Super Star in the jazz world and his status is growing all the time it seems - deservedly so IMHO.
    It's still travel, and your relationship to it changes a lot when you do a lot of it. I have done this in the past, not so much now.

    The thing about going on holiday is that you only have to fly in and fly out, and then sit on a beach or whatever, right? Despite how glamorous it may sound, no-one really enjoys hanging around airports and being driven to and from places. It's tedious and knackering, and then you have to soundcheck and play a show, usually the same day. That's not going to change fundamentally. Maybe you get business class, a better class of hotels and more rest days (depending on the bottom line, scheduling etc) if you're Pat, better sound, guitar tech etc, it all helps, but certain things can't change.

    Until you do it as a job, it's hard to see what people are moaning about haha. It's a privilege and a joy to play music, but there are elements there that aren't for everyone.
    Last edited by Christian Miller; 08-24-2021 at 06:29 AM.

  6. #55

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    I think Pat was created to be a big star and not every great jazzman has had the opportunity to travel as much as Pat.
    Pat's concerts were big events.
    It reminded me a bit of rock band tours.Lights, great sound system, CDs, Pat T-shirts etc.
    The music, however, was always at the highest level.
    I've seen a couple of Pat's shows - they were all Great .

  7. #56

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    Quote Originally Posted by kris
    I think Pat was created to be a big star and not every great jazzman has had the opportunity to travel as much as Pat.
    Pat's concerts were big events.
    It reminded me a bit of rock band tours.Lights, great sound system, CDs, Pat T-shirts etc.
    The music, however, was always at the highest level.
    I've seen a couple of Pat's shows - they were all Great .
    That wasn't really relevant to the point I was making.

    (Anyway, my point wasn't really relevant to thread haha.)

    Gary Burton characterised Pat's greatest talent as being a great communicator, someone who connects with the audience in a very special way.

  8. #57

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    Quote Originally Posted by Christian Miller
    That wasn't really relevant to the point I was making.

    (Anyway, my point wasn't really relevant to thread haha.)

    Gary Burton characterised Pat's greatest talent as being a great communicator, someone who connects with the audience in a very special way.
    It's rare to be a great communicator and player but also a highly intellectual player and composer. Pat's recent works are among the best of his career, IMO, in terms of composition. He's almost superceded his skill as a guitarist, if that makes sense.

  9. #58

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    Quote Originally Posted by grahambop
    I was amazed by Pat’s claim that he never eats anything on the day of a gig, because being hungry makes him play better.

    I think I would pass out by the time the gig came round!
    and considering that the guy did about 300 gigs a year for 20 years…

    I have always thought that Pat Metheny is one of the most articulate interviews in music. So many musicians may play brilliantly but have a hard time verbally describing what they do and why. Metheny seems very capable of explaining what he is doing and why he is choosing to do it. I wonder how much of that comes from his formative experiences with Gary Burton, since he apparently had long discussions after gigs with him. By reputation, Burton with something of a demanding bandleader who would ask things like "in the fourth bar of your solo on Falling Grace, you played an E flat. Was that intentional and why did you chose that?"

    Those sorts of discussions tend to make me realize why they- and many others- are great musicians and I am not. I just don't think like that. They hear, experience, internalize and think about music very differently than I do. I am delighted when I hear one clear line to play; people like this appear to hear an infinity of lines that could be played.

  10. #59

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    Quote Originally Posted by Christian Miller
    It's still travel, and your relationship to it changes a lot when you do a lot of it. I have done this in the past, not so much now.

    The thing about going on holiday is that you only have to fly in and fly out, and then sit on a beach or whatever, right? Despite how glamorous it may sound, no-one really enjoys hanging around airports and being driven to and from places. It's tedious and knackering, and then you have to soundcheck and play a show, usually the same day. That's not going to change fundamentally. Maybe you get business class, a better class of hotels and more rest days (depending on the bottom line, scheduling etc) if you're Pat, better sound, guitar tech etc, it all helps, but certain things can't change.

    Until you do it as a job, it's hard to see what people are moaning about haha. It's a privilege and a joy to play music, but there are elements there that aren't for everyone.
    Why in some ways it's better to be an amateur.

  11. #60
    How do you fast before an evening gig when you gig maybe 200 days a year? He should weigh about three pounds!The Pat Metheny Interview (by Rick Beato)


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  12. #61

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    Quote Originally Posted by paul.trapanese
    How do you fast before an evening gig when you gig maybe 200 days a year? He should weigh about three pounds!The Pat Metheny Interview (by Rick Beato)


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    Presumably he eats after the gig?

  13. #62
    Quote Originally Posted by Christian Miller
    Presumably he eats after the gig?
    Ha! Yeah, I figured. Just being silly.


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  14. #63

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    Quote Originally Posted by Cunamara
    and considering that the guy did about 300 gigs a year for 20 years…

    I have always thought that Pat Metheny is one of the most articulate interviews in music. So many musicians may play brilliantly but have a hard time verbally describing what they do and why. Metheny seems very capable of explaining what he is doing and why he is choosing to do it. I wonder how much of that comes from his formative experiences with Gary Burton, since he apparently had long discussions after gigs with him. By reputation, Burton with something of a demanding bandleader who would ask things like "in the fourth bar of your solo on Falling Grace, you played an E flat. Was that intentional and why did you chose that?"

    Those sorts of discussions tend to make me realize why they- and many others- are great musicians and I am not. I just don't think like that. They hear, experience, internalize and think about music very differently than I do. I am delighted when I hear one clear line to play; people like this appear to hear an infinity of lines that could be played.
    I think I read somewhere that for a while he was practicing 12 hours a day. Could be wrong…maybe it was only 8 hours a day…

    It’s his job. It shouldn’t be surprising for someone who sets out to make a career in jazz playing and composition to be accomplished at his task.

    I will admit there is that special something extra in the true artists and geniuses of the world in addition to sweat. Pat seems to have a special affinity not just for the technical parts of music but also “the big picture”—the ability to play with others in a telepathic fashion and to write wonderful melodies that excite the spirit.

  15. #64

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    Pat mentioned his chops getting better over time in the video

    Remember seeing him give a clinic at UNT in the early 90s which opened my at the time jaded by shredders ears to how good his RH picking technique was. You don’t hear as much of that on the earlier ECM records (not that the playing isn’t great). It seems like he continued to get better - the last two PMG records he absolutely shreds on - Proof would be proof of this

  16. #65

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    Quote Originally Posted by Cunamara
    I have always thought that Pat Metheny is one of the most articulate interviews in music. So many musicians may play brilliantly but have a hard time verbally describing what they do and why. Metheny seems very capable of explaining what he is doing and why he is choosing to do it. I wonder how much of that comes from his formative experiences with Gary Burton, since he apparently had long discussions after gigs with him.
    At around the 1:02:00 mark he talks about how he takes copious notes after every gig, and how he's been doing this for years. Much like keeping a journal/diary can help one better express what's going on with one internally, I suspect this practice of his is what contributes to his ability to communicate so clearly.

  17. #66

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    Quote Originally Posted by BWV
    Pat mentioned his chops getting better over time in the video

    Remember seeing him give a clinic at UNT in the early 90s which opened my at the time jaded by shredders ears to how good his RH picking technique was. You don’t hear as much of that on the earlier ECM records (not that the playing isn’t great). It seems like he continued to get better - the last two PMG records he absolutely shreds on - Proof would be proof of this
    His picking chops have definitely developed

  18. #67
    joelf Guest
    My thoughts:

    Joel Fass | Facebook

    (1st entry)...

  19. #68

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    Quote Originally Posted by joelf
    My thoughts:

    Joel Fass | Facebook

    (1st entry)...
    Any reason not to post the entirety of your Facebook post here rather than a link to it on FB?

  20. #69
    joelf Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by zdub
    Any reason not to post the entirety of your Facebook post here rather than a link to it on FB?
    Only that I've been having problems posting anything here---screen freezes; error messages; and I have to copy and then paste as many as 5 times. So I just wanted to make it easy. Feel free to copy and paste it---my name's on it...

  21. #70
    joelf Guest
    Thanks!

  22. #71

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    I've not watched the video but surely will, Beato is great at this stuff and this will surely be a classic!

    Pat is such a genius but one I admire extra b/c of how hard to truly works at it. Like many I prefer his music where I can hear the guitar but he always pushes the boundaries at that is another admirable part of his career for sure!

    @BMV I was at that clinic in Denton too! Bruce Hall YO! What I remember most was Pat just plugging straight into a Roland JC-120 and putting a mic on a metronome and then completely sounding like Pat and just shredding (if I recall correctly, its been awhile) All The Things You Are...what a talent! Unreal chops and he surely laid down the gauntlet that day for new players to keep pushing him...again work ethic!

    @Fass always good to see you posting and glad you are still out there fighting the good fight!

    RF

  23. #72

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    Thanks much for posting, Lobomov!

    Great to hear a composer/player who can express his ideas so clearly and enthusiastically, and an interviewer who can draw him out so fully.

  24. #73

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    More shall be revealed…..

    Cory Wong conducts another great Pat interview in a Wong Notes recent podcast:

    https://www.premierguitar.com/podcas...y-wong-podcast