RE: [Harp-L] Mitch Kashmar Live CD..................

["Anthony Smith" <anthony@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Nicely put!  I still think there's a bit of "cutting heads" mentality in
blues playing and I don't think that is necessarily a bad thing.
Competition and desire make us better and ultimately the dollar is going in
your pocket or someone else's.  That is life and that is free market and
that is capitalism.  Something we used to stand for here in the US! 

-----Original Message-----
From: michael rubin [mailto:michaelrubinharmonica@xxxxxxxxx] 
Sent: Thursday, July 16, 2009 12:19 PM
To: Anthony Smith
Cc: hashbb@xxxxxxx; harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Mitch Kashmar Live CD..................

I disagree with Anthony.

Music is not a competition.  I liken music to a game of hacky sack. No
teams, no points.  No need to apologize if you drop the ball, no one is
going to the hospital because a bean sack hit the ground.

However, I do agree with Anthony that the music business is a competition.
I also think that competitive feelings are my number one big green monster
and every time I worry about competition it gets me nothing but pain.

I also think humans experience competitive feelings concerning the artistic
side of music.  I believe these feelings arise when believing the story of
the illusion of artistic competition.  This mostly brings pain but also
brings the positive element of awareness that art can be improved both on
technical and feeling levels and can cause a player to practice these
techniques and improve.

Alright, Iceman, I will quote you from the Augusta days: TNT, talent, not
turf.

I find that the more I enjoy my friendly neighborhood harmonica players and
teachers and trust that my money goals will be met, the more that I have
great talented friends who I get to play music with at harmonica events and
I can take a lesson from them if they are more advanced than I am at a
certain element of harp.  They invite me to parties and we share meals and
friendship at SPAH type events and at home.  The money seems to flow in
naturally and every year I consistently find myself making my money goals.

So, the competition is there if you want it.  Enjoy the pain.
However, to not experience competitive feelings is easier said than done.  I
feel them often.
Michael Rubin
Michaelrubinharmonica.com


On 7/16/09, Anthony Smith <anthony@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> I agree with much of what you said except for, " Music is not a 
> competition, and never should be."  Everything in life is competition 
> and music is no exception.  Each and every musician is competing 
> against every other musician for the consumers time and money.  
> Everything has an "opportunity cost" associated with it.  By choosing 
> a PB sandwich, you forgo eating a roast beef sandwich.  By choosing 
> "this", you forgo choosing "that" and that is the point here.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx] On 
> Behalf Of hashbb@xxxxxxx
> Sent: Thursday, July 16, 2009 11:23 AM
> To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Mitch Kashmar Live CD..................
>
>
>  I will say Kim Wilson is without a doubt my favorite modern old style 
> player. I would rather listen to him too. I will say I think the whole 
> point of music and harp playing is being missed here. You need to 
> enjoy a player for what he does, not because he or she doesn't measure 
> up to another player. Music is not a competition, and never should be. 
> If you enjoy the music, great; if not move on to the next thing to for 
> your listening pleasure. I have known Mitch for many years. He is a 
> great vocalist and harp player, and I doubt he ever thought of trying 
> to sound or be what Kim Wilson is. That is not his musical vision. I 
> have the live CD and I like alot of the playing on it. I also liked
Nickels and Dimes.
> Crazy Mixed up World I thought the band and arrangements we're weak. 
> THat's my opinion, but it doesn't make any of this music less great 
> for someone else.
> HB
>
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>
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