Say, you want to buy a new guitar. Or pick. Or Bass. Or pedal board connector cable. Or violin strings. What used to be a fairly easy choice (there were good and bad products) has now evolved into something you have to give a pretty substantial amount of time to. Or you’re supposed to. An process of reviewing, researching, trying, doubting, and repeat, until doubt has changed into certainty. There is no website related to music without advertisements, and millions of products are shoved through the unsuspecting costumers throats on a daily basis. All this choice leads to disappointment of not having product X, unhappiness about not being able to afford product Y, resentment for that others do have product X and so on, and so forth. And all that, ultimately will distract you from what you loved about your instrument – your music, your own tune – in the first place.

What is pissing me off in increasing amounts and what regularly makes me piss acid, is the impression that the starting musicians have of what makes you a good musician. There is a so much unnecessary rivalry between them. ‘You’re uncool, as you don’t have a guitar of brand X’, so no, let’s not jam together.’ I’ve heard that going on between teenagers in a rehearsal facility in town, more then once. Not only amongst starting musicians, but also amongst more established people in the music business there seems to be a sense of self-righteousness and smugness because they feel like they’re on the ‘right’ gear, and others are not. I guess that type of behavior is closely linked to mankind’s tendency to focus on what set’s us apart from one another instead of things we have in common, but that’s a different discussion altogether.

Then, there are the numerous examples of people who are unable to play without any gear, apart from the instrument itself. The number of musicians who simply step up and do their thing, without the aid of gear is getting slimmer by the day. Last week, I attended a show of a locally established band. Or, I intended to. I got to the venue, bought myself a drink, mixed in with the crowd and waited with joy and happy excitation for the great gig to come. How expectations can be shattered as easy as throwing in a window with a brick, and how liking for a band can melt like snow being pissed on. After a 30 minute delay, the venue owner stepped on the stage, and announced that the band was not playing. Apparently, both guitarists were having difficulties with some of their pedals, some of them where malfunctioning. I was, to say the least, flustered when hearing this. The point to this paragraph I guess is that to me it feels like musicians are less and less flexible in what sounds they can or can not create. I can understand, really, how it must suck for a musicians point of view. There you are, ready for a gig, and transport has messed with your pedals. But still. Blowing off a gig? Give the whole thing a twist and try something new, I’d say. I’m tempted to conclude the paragraph by saying that in this day and age, it’s the mechanics that shape the sound, instead of the players. The obvious counterargument being that, generally speaking, it’s the artist that picks the sound (pedal) and therefore they are in fact shaping the sound. Then let me say this. I wonder how many musicians know the whole spectrum, or 95% of it, of sounds their instrument can make without any help.

When Pink Floyd released their ‘Dark side of the moon’ album, for which the whole studio was used as an instrument, they’d been playing for over a decade with way less sophisticated equipment. Same goes for the Beatles and their release of the ‘Sgt Pepper’s Lonely  Hearts Club Band’. And for Hendrix’ ‘Electric Ladyland’.

I guess, overall, what I’m trying to say, is this: To the right way to find out what you’re about musically is to first find your tune, style, heaven, inspiration on your instrument,  and only when you think it’s worth the investment of time and energy, broaden your horizon. There is some much that you can learn from your instrument, the way it sounds, and how to play it, there is probably so much you will never master it. So unless you have a very good reason* to start to toy with new gear (gear in the broadest sense of the word), don’t. Just don’t.

*That’s for every musician to decide for himself. As I have mine, you’ll have yours, and I respect that :-) Lets exchange in the comments!