[Harp-L] Plagiarism and Copying Solos

["Jonathan Metts" <jonathan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

A lot of people seem to support the idea of copying the masters as a form of 
tribute.  I definitely think you can learn a lot from imitating your musical 
heroes -- it's a great way to practice and improve your skills.  But I think 
it's pretty distasteful to copy solos note-for-note in a performance 
setting, and it displays very little creativity.  Instead, do what your 
heroes did when they originally created those solos.  Study the scales, get 
into the groove, and let the music inside of you flow out through the 
instrument.  As an audience member, if I want to hear a particular Little 
Walter solo performed perfectly, I can just load up that CD when I get home. 
My interest in a live performance is to hear music performed live -- and 
that always bears at least a hint of spontaneity, even in the greatest 
professional orchestras around the world.  That's why they have conductors 
instead of metronomes!

Jonathan Metts