Do You Believe In Magic?

[MikeRivers]

Phil got it right. Recording during any phase of a project can be a vaulable part of the creative process. When you're the Rolling Stones, nobody worries about how much it costs to do that in a studio rather than at home or in your reheasrsal space because it's just a drop in the bucket compared to how much the final product will bring in. If that's where you want to work and you have the budget for it, go for it. There may be a track or two coming out of some playing around that finds its way into the final mix. But more often, what comes out is a song, and one that can be recorded as a song.

 

But today a lot of music is produced on a much smaller scale, both production budget and real income. Generally there's more time than money, and it's no big deal to record everythig you do, as long as it helps you get to the end.

 

When you're a crack musician or singer and you have a dollar and time budget, you write the sone, perform it, and it's done. That's what commercial musicians get paid to do. In your typical Nashville session there'll be a chord chart, the musicians will run through it a time or two and maybe catch things like some parts that clash so they figure out when to lay out or play different voicings that work better. Maybe the lead guitarist needs a couple of minutes to practice the hook, or the steel player gives a little thought to his solo. But they don't say "Gee, I wish that tape was rolling. I loved how I came out of that solo," they say "OK, let's do a take."

 

What I don't have the patience for is to work with someone who really has a lot of homework to do, and all I can do to help him is keep the recorder going and maybe say "that was pretty good, want to hear it?" I'll record an evening of the Rolling Stones for $200, but the guy who comes in for 10 hours trying to find something to record and take away gets the $350/hour rate.

 

 

[RockViolin]

Is anything that any magician does actually magic? If someone does a remarkably beautiful job on the stucco on my house, is there magic involved? What about an amazing meal prepared by a French chef?

 

I don't believe in magic. I believe in talent, intuition, focused intent, blood, sweat, tears and skillzzz, the result of which can seem like magic. Happy accidents are not magic, neither mine or anyone else's. Nor is a wrong turn that works out well. Goes double for dumb luck and using the recording studio to sift through detritus because there's no other way. There might be a tolerable result of some kind-but it's not likely going to seem magical and I'm unimpressed by such things.

 

Whenever I've managed to but a real shine on it, it's been due to a lot of polish, whether I was playing music that's been veritably etched in stone, or making it up as I went, there were years of work involved in one way or another, not magic.

 

I was rather amazed when I went to improv school. Dang, I signed up to be a mathematician. Improv had seemed so magical till then.