Catching Trower's wisdom

Robin Trower is from the blue's old guard who still prides himself by balancing vocals with dedicated guitar works. His 'no hurry' approach to music might be a case of extended inertia for some but it's all in the music if you care to listen.

I chanced upon this quote by him recently which is very reflective of my playing philosophy. I don't sit down to figure out what the other guy is playing. At most, I'll analyze what was used in the music & maybe get inspired to incorporate some phrases. I'm really against playing others' ideas for playing sake. Some might argue that we start learning by copying others but that doesn't exist in my learning philosophy. I've been playing guitar for quite some time now. Given this amount of time, I could have dedicated enough time to devour others' ideas into mine but it had not happened- what's the point? Playing & having people identify some others' style in my playing; what does that make me?

People like Trower & I, we won't make it big in terms of getting there. The Trower name for instance, doesn't gather as much crowd as Clapton. But look at where he's at in terms of belief & self-fulfilment- bigger than ever. Respect.

PIC: Rose G

Ability & sweat

Very inspired by this quote today. How many times do we see talent go to waste because of its lazy owner? I'm telling myself, in today's rat race, the smarter rats will leverage on talent over time. That comes with much sweat for sure, peppered with resilience at times. It applies to non-talent inclined industry as well with an emphasis on niche capacity. Most of the time, organizations with niche excellence tend to get lazy because nobody else is running the race with them. One fine day, should an alternative surface, offering better all round performance, then our existence will be under threat. We should not be lulled into fulfilment because we know not what lies ahead. It's no longer enough to be talented, we should be proving our worth at all times. 

The sweep master's quote

PIC: FG instagram

Food for thought, really. There are people out there who take pride in keeping a guitar that ripens with age. We keep reading of how people feel accomplished having owned a '62 Strat or a '57 Les Paul. But these people are buying these gems for keeps. Oh, it's an investment, they said. Nothing wrong with that but it's a darn waste. These instruments were made to be played. I have more respect for you if you have been playing yours to death & duly retiring it thereafter; it's a deserving retirement.