The Logic Off Topic list

At 3:27 AM -0400 6/28/01, GAmoore@... wrote:

>I'm not sure if that is true or not. I think too much training and
>learning does limit one's creativity.

I don't know.  Could it be that it just looks that way because people 
who have limited creativity tend to try to overtrain to make up for 
it?

>Some composers are good at their instruments and some are average, 
>but most of the really great musicians are never great composers.

Jeff Beck wrote some pretty good songs.  I really like Adrian Belew's 
compositions and Jimi Hedrix and Frank Zappa's as well.  If I recall 
correctly Mozart was a prodigy on both Piano and Violin.  And what 
about Bach?  Wasn't he renowned as a virtuoso organist?

I guess I can't quite see where you are coming from there.

>
>I now know you consider yourself very creative.

So that is an invitation to account for myself?

Let me see.

Certainly I strive to be creative but that does not mean I am.

People always ask me what kind of music my band plays and I have 
always been at a loss to describe it.  When I play it for them and 
ask them what kind of music it is they can't tell me either. To the 
avant guard indy crowd I generally hang with: It's pop.  To pop 
people it's avant guard.  To the record stores it is something they 
have a hard time placing.  To me it is pop.

I can play OK (after doing for 25 years I should be able to after 
all) but am not the best guitarist around.  So rather than 
demonstrating the chops I don't have to the world I try to use my 
head in such a way as to make things interesting.

My personal taste runs to music that is generally regarded as 
"difficult" by the main stream.  When I listen to albums I have 
played on I enjoy them and enjoy my contributions to them.  Usually I 
don't when they are fresh off the press but when I hear them 6 months 
or a year later and have had a chance get the process of creating 
them out of my mind I do.

The critics that have heard what I do say it is creative, but that 
proves nothing.

Bottom line.  In answer to your question yes I think I am creative, 
after all it is my job.  If I didn't think I was I would have to 
choose another profession.  As for the "Very", well, sometimes maybe, 
but I am kind of lazy and that's not good.  "Very" creative people 
can't be lazy.

In any case if you want to form your own opinion and or read that of 
the critics you can follow the link in my signature.  The page is 
kind of out of date but there are some sounds there.  I suppose I 
should put some more on there but I'm lazy.
-- 


                                 Dennis Gunn
                                 Mightyjohn@...

                  check out  MIGHTY JOHN HENRY's album "hot air head"
                                                    info at
                        http://www.twics.com/~mightyjo/home.html