"Literally No One Cares (and that's a good thing.)" Rob Chapman

[MarkRhodes]

[ruger9]

100% correct. Great video that all beginners should be required to watch.

[RJVB]

Why even bother ...

[SoftwareGuy]

I think nobody cares if you play guitar. The world is over saturated with guitar players.

If you can, however, do something musical that grabs people, they might care.

[bloos66]

[garybaldy]

Coincidently, before seeing this thread I was reading this thread iPad Specs for the Gigging Musician 2024 (jazzguitar.be).
Some of the comments were suggesting one shouldn't use an iPad. I was thinking nobody cares!

[Bobby Timmons]

True true true. I think about this a lot. Musician metrics make no difference to the average listener. My goal is to make music that sounds attractive to average listeners, other musicians, and me. If I can do that, which is quite hard, then I've succeeded.

On the other hand, it's not like how to accomplish that is super elusive. Basically you want the the music to be fundamentally sound or mostly, and be creative and have some sort of emotional impact. That's really simple. But it takes a lot of work to get there.

[RJVB]

Musician metrics

Dunno what those are, are they of the same kind as fisherman metrics?

[ruger9]

Coincidently, before seeing this thread I was reading this thread iPad Specs for the Gigging Musician 2024 (jazzguitar.be).
Some of the comments were suggesting one shouldn't use an iPad. I was thinking nobody cares!

While true that "nobody cares" what guitar or amp you use/what jacket you wear/who your famous uncle is/if you use an iPad or not...

The iPad (and huge 3-ring binder) thing REALLY bugs me. *I* care. I won't perform a song I don't know cold, and when I see others using iPads and binders it really rubs me the wrong way. We've had this discussion here before, and while yes- big bands and classical musicians use charts (and jazz and even country players use charts while recording), I don't think any of those players don't know their parts cold. I guess maybe *I* feel like if you don't respect the music enough (and perhaps the listeners: who wants to watch a performer stare at a tablet all night?) to not require the crutch of a tablet LIVE, you shouldn't be playing the song.

I know there are dissenters here, and that's fine. Everyone has their own SUBjective opinions. But if I see a performer reading off an iPad, I lose some respect for them. Just my $0.02

[RJVB]

.. classical musicians use charts ...

No they don't

, I don't think any of those players don't know their parts cold.

Actually, pro classical musicians are supposed(and big orchestras require their members) to be good enough at sightreading new material that a concert can be prepared in about just as much rehearsal time as with known material that everybody "has cold".

Managing a performance like that where music is made rather than just notes are being played is just as much worthy of respect as people getting together making music without any physical support at all. And maybe even more so because in that latter case the players are typically all familiar with the tune/theme being improvised upon and they all have their bags of licks and tricks.

[ruger9]

No they don't

.

Really? I guess all these musicians are just reading comics while they play?

[RJVB]

Really?

So jazz guitarists are reading this kind of charts while they play, given what they play on?



(classical musicians read something call scores or sheet music, though some may be reading tabulature.)

[ruger9]

So jazz guitarists are reading this kind of charts while they play, given what they play on?



(classical musicians read something call scores or sheet music, though some may be reading tabulature.)

Right. They're reading.

[Tal_175]

I wonder how many "no one cares" videos it'll take Rob Chapman to convince himself that he doesn't care about any of those things.

[garybaldy]

Really? I guess all these musicians are just reading comics while they play?

Those iPad stands are massive.

[MarkRhodes]

I wonder how many "no one cares" videos it'll take Rob Chapman to convince himself that he doesn't care about any of those things.

He cares a lot about those things. Obsessively so, as he points out in the video. But most people don't. What listeners (and potential listeners) care about it is if the music moves THEM, not how it was made. (Most moviegoers don't care what camera or lens director X used to get the shot; they just care about whether they enjoy watching the movie.)

The good side of this is that you don't need to wait until you've amassed and mastered an arsenal of enviable gear before you start recording music. Use what little you've got and make the most of it.

[Tal_175]

He cares a lot about those things. Obsessively so, as he points out in the video. But most people don't. What listeners (and potential listeners) care about it is if the music moves THEM, not how it was made. (Most moviegoers don't care what camera or lens director X used to get the shot; they just care about whether they enjoy watching the movie.)

The good side of this is that you don't need to wait until you've amassed and mastered an arsenal of enviable gear before you start recording music. Use what little you've got and make the most of it.

Right, his logic seems to be that since listeners do not care about these things, there is no reason for musicians care about them either. But as exemplified by his own attitude, that would be an overly simplistic view of why musicians seem to care about these things in the first place.

[Boss Man Zwiebelsohn]

He cares a lot about those things. Obsessively so, as he points out in the video. But most people don't. What listeners (and potential listeners) care about it is if the music moves THEM, not how it was made. (Most moviegoers don't care what camera or lens director X used to get the shot; they just care about whether they enjoy watching the movie.)

The good side of this is that you don't need to wait until you've amassed and mastered an arsenal of enviable gear before you start recording music. Use what little you've got and make the most of it.

That's the way I understood it as well. And you can get something great with a budget. When I was at SAE (School of Audio Engineering) they always talked about the first Police album being recorded with a Tascam 8 track (IIRC). An album that made them superstars.

On the other hand while a certain piece of gear might be able to inspire you (from what I read in this forum) it is no guarantee for inspiration. Which finally comes from inside of you.

[RJVB]

They're reading.

As per another message, many are probably only looking at it just enough to update a mental cursor where they are in the piece, in case they do need a refresher (and barring any last-minute notes).

Those iPad stands are massive.

What you can't see is that the iPads are of a foldable design with 2, 3 or maybe even 4 screens that can be put next to each other. Some may even have little bits of screen cut off from a 5th full screen that really wouldn't fit on the stand, and glued at an appropriate place. It's really amazing how creative people can get to avoid having to hit the page turner!

[DawgBone]

While true that "nobody cares" what guitar or amp you use/what jacket you wear/who your famous uncle is/if you use an iPad or not...

The iPad (and huge 3-ring binder) thing REALLY bugs me. *I* care. I won't perform a song I don't know cold, and when I see others using iPads and binders it really rubs me the wrong way. We've had this discussion here before, and while yes- big bands and classical musicians use charts (and jazz and even country players use charts while recording), I don't think any of those players don't know their parts cold. I guess maybe *I* feel like if you don't respect the music enough (and perhaps the listeners: who wants to watch a performer stare at a tablet all night?) to not require the crutch of a tablet LIVE, you shouldn't be playing the song.

I know there are dissenters here, and that's fine. Everyone has their own SUBjective opinions. But if I see a performer reading off an iPad, I lose some respect for them. Just my $0.02

100 percent agreed. I think the logical destination to the i-pad is just pre recording your parts, donwloading them to your I-pad,, plugging it into FOH and hitting play when your part comes up. At least that way you can engage the audience instead of staring at a screen like you were working in a cubicle.

"I-pads have revolutionized the way I play jazz"-Charlie Parker

[pingu]

erm

[RJVB]

What I care much more about than sheets or pads on the podium is people in the audience (who're clearly not conservatory students) holding them. Fortunately I never noticed that while performing myself.

[Boss Man Zwiebelsohn]

What I care much more about than sheets or pads on the podium is people in the audience (who're clearly not conservatory students) holding them. Fortunately I never noticed that while performing myself.

Did you never ask your audience to hold up there cell phones with the flashlight on so you could make a video of them LOL?

[RJVB]

I don't think that was already a thing the last times I performed... And still not in audiences I'd be playing for, I hope (other than for reading their score book :-/)