killdeer43 said:
The old disclaimer, and I paraphrase....you've got to suffer if you wanna play/sing the blues. 8) Joe
Old disclaimer often brought forth, and with which I respectfully disagree.
I've also heard "if you're not black, you can't play the blues", which would be as relevant a disclaimer, since "The Blues" originate in the suffering endured by African slaves, and is the evolution of some African musical patterns, adapted to new types of instruments available then and there, according to research (I have some very interesting audio samples of what is considered to be the first sounds of "Blues" performed on some African instrument that had made its way over to America).
Any type of music resonates with individual sensibilities, for whatever reasons, mostly unknown.
I have no idea why the 13 years old boy from a middle class white French family that I was when I first heard sounds of blues guitar come through my older brother's bedroom door, hit me the way it did, but it just did, and from that day on, it became my favorite form of musical expression, and will remain it until my last breath, despite the fact that I haven't particularly suffered during my upbringing.... or I could have chosen the easy road, and said that my parents used to tie me up in the basement and took turns beating me silly just for kicks, until I managed to escape, which is when I stumbled upon a guitar, and became a
legitimate blues player. :roll:
It goes without saying that all these original Blues music pioneers never got the deserved recognition for creating what is at the origins of 90% of what we hear today, but it is also interesting to note the shift that happened in their perception of white folks playing the Blues.
At first, it was the legitimate territory protection reaction consisting of the disclaimer referenced above (about having to be black to play the Blues) even easier to understand when realizing how hard they had to struggle to make a living even if they were the best at the time, and then, when they realized that a few white kids from England, with an appreciation for their musical creation, were about to move the Blues status from a barely paying gig in the Delta, to an international musical revolution that will shape the face of modern music forever (and make them rich in the process), the idea of having a white-non-suffering-guy playing the Blues, became much better accepted... :wink:
Guess the question is: In order to be considered a legitimate musician, regardless of the musical "genre" addressed, does one have to be sharing life experiences in par with what the creators of said "genre" experienced themselves? Or is being responsive, or "understand" the musical expression at hand acceptable enough to be allowed to partake?
Just saying.... and regardless of y'all answers, I'll keep bluesin' away! :lol:
Oh, and thanks for the clip Toni!... one more proof that it's never too early to start!