[Harp-L] Channeling Your Anger

[Wolf Kristiansen <wolfkristiansen@xxxxxxxx>]

In a May 11th post to this group, Chris Michalek
described a phenomenon that I suspect many others have
experienced; that being the effect anger can have on
one's harmonica playing. (Really, the playing of any
instrument, but to keep it relevant to this group...).

The post went by the awkward heading "Re: [Harp-L]
Create Mail", and said, 

"That reminds me of the time we were rehearsing the
bunch o guys stuff.  We were in Winslow's hotel room
and I was fighting with my wife on the phone as you
guys were playing and slammed the phone down as soon
as it was time for my solo...

Filisko said up and to that point there have been only
two players to ever give him goosebumps with a solo -
Dennis Gruenling, Kim Wilson and then me..."

I want to share my "anger" experiences and my take on
what happened during those times.  

In the course of playing harmonica for over 30 years,
I've occasionally stepped onto the stage seething with
anger over something that was said or done to me that
day or that very moment. I would seethe over some
perceived unfairness in how I had been treated.  As I
think back, I realize it was always because of an
argument with a female, be she girlfriend or wife.   

Instead of distracting me, the emotion caused me to
play better than I usually do.  I know, because
bandmates and audiences would tell me how well I
played on those occasions, without knowing what I had
been feeling.

It was such an obvious and reliable phenomenon, I did
my best to analyze what was going on.  Everybody wants
to elevate their playing, after all. Here's what I
came up with, years ago:

1.	Any emotion, be it anger, love, joy or sadness will
translate into better music, if your music (in my
case, the blues) depends on emotion for its power. 

2.	Anger creates adrenalin, the same adrenalin that
readied our prehistoric ancestors to fight or flee as
they faced the sabre-toothed tiger.  Your senses are
heightened during those times; this is good for you as
a performer.

3.	Your playing, at times like these, is true to your
real self.

For me, it's the third point that is far and away the
biggest factor in how my playing changes for the
better. 

Terrible unresolved arguments with girlfriends always
made me feel totally alone in the world. I didn't care
who I pleased or displeased at that point.

During those angry moments, I played to satisfy MY
needs, not the needs of my bandmates; nor the needs of
the audience.  I focussed on my need to "work it out",
there and then.  I didn't care who was watching or
listening, or whether I pleased them or not. I lost my
stage fright, indeed, any kind of self-consciousness.

Ironically, in selfishly pleasing myself, I would end
up pleasing my bandmates and the audience.  I would
stand on the lip of the stage, with my eyes closed,
baring my soul. My bandmates were happy to have a true
center for the audience's focus, and would fall in
line to support whatever magical thing was happening. 
The music that emerged was better, tighter and more
powerful than anybody expected.

What it taught me, more than anything else, is that
you should always try to be true to yourself as a
musician; as an artist.  This is the rule for me,
although I appreciate for others their first focus is
to entertain the audience.  I say, if you please
yourself, you will please the audience.



      Be smarter than spam. See how smart SpamGuard is at giving junk email the boot with the All-new Yahoo! Mail at http://mrd.mail.yahoo.com/try_beta?.intl=ca