blue Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 (edited) [size=4][font=Arial]Do You Have The Ability?[/font] [font=Arial]I love this stuff, to me it's a great example of putting a group of pros together and it just works.[/font] I think Raphael Saadiq has been around for about 20 years. Still looks like a kid.[/size] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4dyRzvA7D4 [font=Arial][size=2][size=4]I'm too old to be afforded this type of opportunity and not sure if I have the ability for it.[/size][/size][/font] [size=4][font=Arial]My question is, don't most of the band members look like they were recruited from some of the high end music schools. I don't think the powers that be pull this level of talented young musicians out of bar bands.[/font] [font=Arial]Comments?[/font] [font=Arial]Blue[/font][/size] Edited November 25, 2014 by icastle Link Fixed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 I loved that: started the day off a treat, thanks for posting, Blue. On the subject of kids with skills, the main gigging band I'm in is a bit of a collective, just the singer/bandleader and (mostly) me, with a succession of dep drummers and guitarists, and all of the kids (OK, they're in their 20s, but hey...) who dep have degrees in Modern Music. Yes, even the drummer... The guys who dep for me have degrees, too. I'd have killed and killed again for that sort of opportunity when I was a teenager, but that's just the way things were back then: you wanted a music degree playing something with four strings? Pass me the cello... I think the point is there's much more chance of coming across pub (bar) bands these days with very well trained musicians than there was twenty, thirty years ago. Which for me is a good thing, as it ups my game all the time. There's nothing better than playing with people who lift and inspire you, wherever they're from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 (edited) Interesting question. The music schools are working hard getting these people ready and the one big thing they seem to concentrate on is the business side, which makes them very aware of networking and promoting themselves. It is a fine line as this might get a bit much in your face as they can be relentless in this regard. This does not make them the best musicians but their self PR will imply as much. There is a repeated school of thought that they often sound the same and lack real soul, but then you could say old skoolers paying their dues lack some of that as well.. All you hope is that the cream rises to the top eventually. A good player is a good player and schooling is no bad thing but it does not make the player, IMO. The best muso round here ( IMO ) put all his time in working at it (and was gigging whilst at school age ) and along with his massive talent got him to the top... There is no one else who gets close in terms of the player he is. A lot of acts are trawling the schools now as they can get these very decent players cheap as there isn't the money in the game any more. The older guys wont work for that and they are probably too old for the act anyway. Edited November 26, 2014 by JTUK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drax Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 It's energising and inspirational seeing young players coming through. In so many other walks of life you don't see good young talent being given the chance. Seeing Marcus Miller last week, his current keys Brett Williams is 22, and was outstanding. His sax Alex Han (now 26) was tapped up all through Berklee (of course) before eventually joining. Difficult to know if the commercial schooling you get at music school has a positive effect on music. I know two very talented people who've been through the british system, now running great businesses with function bands, but they don't really enjoy music anymore, it's strictly business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 This is not that new a phenomenon. Pat Metheny was teaching at Berklee at 17 and touring with Gary Burton/Paul Bley at a similar age. Tony Williams was with Miles at 17, Paul Chambers was 20 etc. I guess it's the idea that 'schooled' musicians are finding a place in 'garage' bands that raises the eyebrows. But the simple fact is that learning our instruments is easier nowadays in that there are fewer barriers (living in a rural area used to prevent access to mainstream recordings, never mind live music) and more resources (dvds, internet etc). Good gear is cheaper, colleges covering popular are much more widely available, home recording and video is cheaper (you can do a video on your PHONE nowadays. In my era, you needed a camera that weighed about 40 pounds and even then the results were dubious). It's all good really but I think some of us old folk miss the 'folksy' element of it all, the fact that pop music came from the 'street' and not colleges. The fact is, all art forms start that way and end up as academic subjects of some sort. It's a multi-zillion dollar industry now. Why wouldn't it attract learners? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weststarx Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 (edited) I absoultely hated music lessons through school and music is my passion. They just shoved piano down our faces and told us to only play Beethoven stuff. It was more of a history lesson of music rather inspiring us to play. I wish I could of picked it as one of my options through secondary school and college but it was such a bad experience it stopped me from doing something that I really would have enjoyed doing. A few friends of mine from other bands are music teachers and one of them teaches drums in a school as a full time job which I think is fantastic now kids [i](in my local area anyway)[/i] are getting to choose what instrument they want to play and learn. Edited November 26, 2014 by Weststarx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 (edited) This video is of an old fashioned Soul band. I can play this easily, but I'd never get the chance because I'm not pretty enough, I'm too old and I'll never break into the clique that these guys are plucked from. I think that's the gist of Blue's point. I'm already suffering. A young drummer I played with in the now defunct originals band has joined a blues/soul band I know and have depped with over the years. They do pub, club and festival gigs. Just joined on bass is a young guy from the same music college. He's a great player. Playing stuff with a technique I've only ever seen on Youtube vidoes. That's another dep gig gone west! Some days I feel positively Jurassic! Edited November 26, 2014 by chris_b Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 Plenty of 'old timers' round here still get the gigs and some of it might just be 'jobs for the boys'...which is the same sort of clique, inverted, that the young dudes cultivate. I think it has always been the same.. you can play, you know people and you get along ... I find it hardest on the drummers as they just can't do their stuff anymore.. so in that case, 'less is more'...cos it has to be... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue Posted November 26, 2014 Author Share Posted November 26, 2014 [quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1416998340' post='2615819'] This video is of an old fashioned Soul band. I can play this easily, but I'd never get the chance because I'm not pretty enough, I'm too old and I'll never break into the clique that these guys are plucked from.[/quote] Me too, now that I have the discipline and could tour, I'm too old. Sad thing, nobody will ever tell you the reason you didn't get the gig is because your not young and pretty. So for all you young guys, [i]"being young and pretty doesn't last for ever, it's a short time frame for most"[/i] Blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue Posted November 26, 2014 Author Share Posted November 26, 2014 Looks like they must have studied dance steps from old videos of Motown's Temptations. Raphael even has sort of a David Ruffin look. There's another video from this show where Raphael is playing bass and he's good. He should be a bigger star. Blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue Posted November 26, 2014 Author Share Posted November 26, 2014 [quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1417011379' post='2616053'] Plenty of 'old timers' round here still get the gigs and some of it might just be 'jobs for the boys'...which is the same sort of clique, inverted, that the young dudes cultivate. I think it has always been the same.. you can play, you know people and you get along ... I find it hardest on the drummers as they just can't do their stuff anymore.. so in that case, 'less is more'...cos it has to be... [/quote] If Raphael was auditioning bass players for this band, even if I auditioned at the A+ level, at 61 they would tell me to get lost. Blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 Yes... it is more likely that you couldn't gig down to that age group, but by the same token, older gigs tend to keep older players Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue Posted November 26, 2014 Author Share Posted November 26, 2014 [quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1417032735' post='2616486'] Yes... it is more likely that you couldn't gig down to that age group, but by the same token, older gigs tend to keep older players [/quote] Yeah, but those older groups don't look cool, contemporary and usually are not presenting a fun energetic show like these guys. I'm sure there are exceptions, Blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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