Authenticity

"Bluetooth or not?" I asked myself the other day, as I walked into a business appointment.

On one hand, I see it as a symbol of status and business, mixed with a bit of importance because, frankly, I might get a call that's more important that you.

On the other, I think props like that come off about as convincing as 12 year olds using profanity.

The topic of Authenticity is an important one for everyone in general, and musicians in particular. I often lecture my students about how, in my opinion, the real key to the genius of Hendrix was in that he wasn't trying to sound like anyone else, only purely, fiercely himself...and the occasional war sounds reflected in his renditions of The Star Spangled Banner and Machine Gun.

There's half a dozen people in my town alone that can play faster than Jimi, know more about chords, and have way more theoretical knowledge.

But until we stop trying to emulate other guitarists, we can only hope to be pale imitations of our true glory, a fleeting ghost in the rear view mirror of what we could sound like.

And what a shame! Beethoven didn't even step into his own until he stopped trying to copy Mozart. What if he had gotten bogged down in the details of what piano Mozart used?

I heard somewhere that we're all like radios, tuned to our very own frequency, and receiving a unique sonic blend. I think it's time we all turned up the volume!

- Josh