| Author |
Topic: Concert coming up |
Christopher Woitach
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 16 Oct 2015 11:33 pm |
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Next weekend I'm driving up to Bellingham, WA, to do a concert for a pretty serious jazz crowd, for an organization I've been playing for for about 16 years called the Jazz Project.
Throughout the years, I've played concerts for them (I get to choose) on solo guitar, guitar duos, trios, larger groups playing my original (sort of avant garde) music, midi organ guitar, you name it, all kinds of jazz...
This time, I chose my trio where I just play pedal steel. We'll be playing some jazz standards, as well as pretty involved arrangements of Cyndi Lauper tunes, a sort of chamber jazz version of Heart of Gold, Coltranes Impressions over the bass line for Inna Godda Da Vida, even an original country waltz, written by the bassist. This particular group has been rehearsing for a while, so we are in pretty good shape.
After playing my first all pedal steel jazz gig a couple weeks ago, I was feeling pretty discouraged - lots of intonation issues, my chair sliding around on the slick floor when I'd use a stiff knee lever, putting me an inch over so I'd hit the wrong pedal, timid playing.... Let's just say I was questioning my choice for this concert, not to mention my chances of ever playing steel guitar anywhere near the level I play guitar, and it's waaaaaay too late to do anything about it. Gulp...
I was listening to some rehearsal recordings I made with this group after the gig happened a little while ago - still some slop, some intonation issues, but - so much better, much more confident, just all around more what I have hoped I'd sound like after 5 years of very hard work (I practice a lot). Jim Cohen said to me "there's nothing wrong with your playing that playing 5 gigs a week won't cure", and I believe he might be correct. Weird - it's really hard to go from pro on an instrument to beginner on another, very humbling indeed.
I'm going to do my best, and if anything sounds even halfway good I'll post it .
_________________
Christopher Woitach
cw@affmusic.com
www.affmusic.com |
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John Alexander
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Posted 17 Oct 2015 1:12 am
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| Chris - I admire your ambition and persistence. Does your trio have another melody/harmony instrument, or is it bass & drums? |
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Joachim Kettner
From:
Germany
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Posted 17 Oct 2015 3:04 am
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Yes very admirable!
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Fender Kingman, Sierra Crown D-10, Evans Amplifier, Soup Cube. |
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Christopher Woitach
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 17 Oct 2015 7:35 am
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John
No, it's just steel, bass and drums. That's my favorite way to play to regular guitar, too. It's harder in some ways, but I love the more open sound. I do play steel in another band, a more country type group, that has a rhythm guitar
_________________
Christopher Woitach
cw@affmusic.com
www.affmusic.com |
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Christopher Woitach
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 24 Oct 2015 10:34 am
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Well, up in Bellingham Wa.. Played a trio gig last night on guitar at the hotel where I'm staying, and since I have a room here till Sunday got the steel out for some acoustic practicing
I've been plagued with some insomnia lately, and am pretty burnt, but I think it's going to go OK tomorrow- great rhythm section, nice selection of tunes, and an audience that's always ready to like what I do, no matter how odd..
Steel is a lot harder than guitar - no question about it! I drove 5 hours on little sleep, changed into my suit, and played 3 hours of jazz easy as pie. I wonder if I'll ever get to where I can do that on steel guitar!
_________________
Christopher Woitach
cw@affmusic.com
www.affmusic.com |
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Jim Cohen
From:
Philadelphia, PA
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Posted 24 Oct 2015 10:49 am
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You'll get there, Christopher! You have great ears. You just need more time in the seat for your chops to catch up. And, from what I've heard, they already are! You'll get there.
| Christopher Woitach wrote: |
| Jim Cohen said to me "there's nothing wrong with your playing that playing 5 gigs a week won't cure", and I believe he might be correct. Weird - it's really hard to go from pro on an instrument to beginner on another, very humbling indeed. |
I'm just passing along to you the same comment that Reece Anderson made to me many years ago. I never did land that 5-night-a-week gig, but I did have about 6 years working (occasionally) from home where I got to play 7-8 hours a day, several days a week. And that made a huge difference in my playing, and especially in my tone, which one day just jumped up a big level - even my wife noticed it. Maybe I had just reached the 10,000 hour threshold, I don't know.
As for starting over as a beginner on a new instrument, I can relate! That's what I'm doing on jazz guitar! (As you well know, since you've been my invaluable coach...) So you could say our career paths are mirror images of each other. 
Anyway, you'll do great. Have a great gig tonight and I hope to hear some snippets in due course. Oh, yeah, another mentor of mine once told me, "If you're not having fun, you're not doing it right." 
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www.JimCohen.com
www.RonstadtRevue.com
www.BeatsWalkin.com |
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Brett Lanier
From:
Madison, TN
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Posted 24 Oct 2015 12:25 pm
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Your story reminds me of when I was in college and I first got a pedal steel. When I started bringing it out to play in ensembles (and even a jury), I could feel the weird looks coming from my jazz guitar professor and friends. They didn't specifically say "no", but I hardly felt encouraged to take the leap into replacing the guitar. Lucky for me though I was pretty hellbent and stubborn on learning the thing and making it my primary instrument, even if it meant sounding bad for awhile. So glad I did because I really don't know what I'd be occupying my days with if I hadn't done that. It's opened up a whole new world of musical possibilities for me.
Have you sparked an interest in pedal steel among any of your guitar students? |
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Christopher Woitach
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 24 Oct 2015 1:05 pm
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Curiousity, yes...
I have a student who is partially disabled, but I agreed to help him get admitted to school. He can only play lap style (his left side is impacted) with a metal bottleneck on one finger. I've been teaching him C6/A7, and he now has an 8 string. His dexterity in his left hand has improved beyond the doctors best hopes, and they credit the steel guitar he works on so diligently.
He may never be great because of it, but he can make chords, and play some jazz standards. As far as I'm concerned that's worth it.
Mike Neer was very helpful in getting me started figuring out how to teach him
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Christopher Woitach
cw@affmusic.com
www.affmusic.com |
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Christopher Woitach
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 25 Oct 2015 7:59 am
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I will say, as I am sitting here, "getting my mind right", as Reece always used to tell me, that I realize how lucky I am to have had so much musical experience before trying this crazy instrument, and especially to have had a tutor as remarkable as Reece Anderson. For all the frustration, I know I've put in countless hours, and am probably as ready as I could be for this
I am grateful for all the support and knowledge I've gained from this wild online community of like minded musicians- bless you all, thank you so much!
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Christopher Woitach
cw@affmusic.com
www.affmusic.com |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 25 Oct 2015 8:08 am
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Christopher, you are a great musician. I would say you know you are getting somewhere when you begin to push aside all the trappings and influences of the steel guitar and just focus on the way you hear the music. You are right that you are lucky, because you have built many years of listening, studying, reacting and analyzing, and now that you are in a place where you have control of the instrument, you can get back to playing what you hear.
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Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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Bryan Daste
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Christopher Woitach
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 25 Oct 2015 10:16 am
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Thanks guys! I have your thoughts in mind
Bryan - gig is today at 4 - cross your fingers for me!
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Christopher Woitach
cw@affmusic.com
www.affmusic.com |
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Christopher Woitach
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 25 Oct 2015 11:12 pm
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Final update:
Great crowd, listening hard to all of it
Due largely to nice choice of material, crowd predisposed to like my music, good rapport (I tend to do well there), and terrific playing by the rhythm section - standing ovation
I did ok, considering. The novelty and beautiful tone of my instrument through the Telonics amp really helped
Thanks, guys, for all your positive thoughts!
_________________
Christopher Woitach
cw@affmusic.com
www.affmusic.com |
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Jim Cohen
From:
Philadelphia, PA
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Christopher Woitach
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 26 Oct 2015 10:00 am
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True, but to be honest, the great band was probably the star
However- I'll take it as a good sign that the intonation is improving
_________________
Christopher Woitach
cw@affmusic.com
www.affmusic.com |
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John Alexander
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Posted 26 Oct 2015 10:05 am
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| Nice! |
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