John Baker wrote:
> > with no musical vocabulary to
> > back it up people tend
> > to stick to whatever is easy to produce given the
> > mechanics of the instrument they are playing.
>
> By this argument, you would recommend writers to
> practice typing other people's writing in order to
> develop their own style.
I don't think so. The idea is that certain traditional
"riffs" are much more difficult than corresponding
"natural" shakuhachi tones that are easier to play.
One example is dai meri notes that are a whole tone
lower than the note above. It's less "natural" to play
re dai meri--re than simply tsu--re, but the former is
often called for in honkyoku. The pitches may be the
same, but the effect is a lot different.
> My point is that human ingenuity is the source of
> inovation, and imitation is the source of copies.
I think that imitation is the basis for a lot of
learning. I don't take imitation to mean a slavish copy
(even if such were possible), but rather the effort to
sound like one's teacher, say, or players whose
expression one admires. Close listening and working to
emulate what one hears helps on many levels, I believe.
John Goodman
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