Playing Bad for Good, On Being Yourself, Communal Coating

Playing Bad for Good

Dear Mr. P.C.:

Here's the thing: Whenever I play a recording session and listen to the playback afterward, it's never as good or as bad as I thought. Meaning: If I thought I played great, I wind up being disappointed. But if I thought I played terribly, I wind up being relieved.

With that in mind, would it be out of line next time I record to deliberately play in a way I think sounds bad so I can feel better when I hear the playback?

—Mike

Dear Mike:

What you're missing here is that if you set the goal of playing badly, bad notes will actually feel good to you since you're meeting your goal. And if they feel good, you'll still be disappointed when you hear playback, no matter how terribly you played.

On Being Yourself

Dear Mr. P.C.:

Younger players are taking over my city! They went to fancy jazz schools, studied with the best teachers, listened to all the right recordings, and did nothing but live and breathe the music for years. Net result: They're better than I am! Now what?

—Josh, Minneapolis

Dear Josh

"Better" meaning what? Sure, they have more chops, more acute ears, more energy, more stamina, and studied at the feet of the masters. But you know what they aren't? You!

So, you be you, Josh! That may not be much, but unfortunately, you're all you've got.

Communal Coating

Dear Mr. P.C.:

I'm writing as an audience member. There are some shows I go to, general seating, where someone will arrive a couple of hours early, throw their coat over a seat, then leave, getting back just in time to assume their privileged spot. Is that okay?

—Back Row Bobby

Dear BRB:

How do you know they aren't just trying to share their coat? It makes sense they'd put it on a seat, where it's sure to be found, hopefully by someone cold. Well, you could be that someone—grab the coat and put it on! If you're already wearing a coat, you could put that on another seat, where hopefully someone else needing a coat will find it.

As global citizens, we can all learn from those selfless, progressive souls who initiate the cycle of coat-sharing: General seating promotes community-building and the common good; reserved seating is isolating and classist.

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