pro vs nearly pro

[alciere@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

I was feeling good about my harp playing. I nailed a recording, with a nice 
complicated, slick series of riffs. I was feeling quite cocky. 

Then I went to see some friends, local musicians, the Laurie Jones Band. 
They got a chance to open for Ashley MacIsaac. This is a big deal for a band 
around here, so I thought I'd give them support. 

Laurie rocked. All original songs, nice showmanship, comfortable on stage, a 
little harp, basic, but okay. I was thinking the band was great, thinking 
that the local musicians were making progress.Thinking we were all ready for 
the big time. 

Then I heard Ashley MacIssac play. His showmanship was perfect. He developed 
a rapport with the audience immediately. He picked up the fiddle, played a 
Cape Breton fiddle tune at twice the intended speed and three times the 
intended volume. Breath taking technique, flawless showmanship, excellent 
singing, beautiful songs. 

So maybe it's unfair to compare my music with Ashley's. He is one of the 
best fiddle players in the world, and an expert on Cape Breton fiddle tunes. 
Still, that's the competition.That's the level of the players out there. 
That's the level of virtuosity, focus, and concentration of the pros. I 
don't have that. It's fun to work towards that, and it's fun to see some 
progress,but realistically I can't see myself reaching that level ever. 

I'll keep trying. 

Also, there were some earlier posts about stage volume. While I agree with 
the complaints about volume generally, it was quite something to hear 
traditional fiddle tunes played at ear bleeding volume. 

Rainbow Jimmy
http://www.spaceanimals.com
http://www.mp3.com/spaceanimals