I'm in the band?!

[mattbcl]

Okay, so the title isn't all that inspired - all the inspiration went to Mika for his committee membership thread. I'll try to do better. But in the meantime, this one's fairly apt...

This weekend, I rigged my laptop to record me and some gaming friends playing our favorite party game, Rock Band. I've played this game series for years; I have an affinity for the drums, and I play at expert level, despite having never been taught. It was mostly in a spirit of fun that I wanted to record the videos - just some shots of myself and my friends having a good time doing what we like to do.

While I was waiting for my friends to show, I shot a couple videos of myself, then picked out my favorite minute or so from each and posted them to my Facebook. (Cue Homer Simpson: "D'oh!") My dad watched the two videos I posted and immediately said, "You need to get in a band. I know some people in the biz..."

ALERT! ALERT! Not what I had in mind! I like showing off, but I worry I'd choke in front of a crowd. I do that when I have to deliver speeches - I hyperventilate and forget what I'm supposed to be doing.

His creative juices continue to stir, though, and I'm not totally opposed to the concept. I know he means well. I'm pretty sure both he and my mom think it would be a terrible waste of potential to not at least try to find an application for the skill I've acquired. Mom said today that the concept of someone who wants to play but not perform baffles her - why bother practicing if you're not going to perform?

And so that leads me to my discussion point for tonight: anyone here have skills that you have either no opportunity or no desire to apply (for material / emotional reward)?

[shazza]

I've been moderately able to play the piano, learning since I was 6 years old. It isn’t a vocational thing; it’s more of a personal one. I’ve previously been asked to play keyboards in the band, but nervousness overcomes any excitement I have for it.

But last night, my Dad was getting an interview on an Australian national radio station, and got me to play Mozart’s K. 545 on it. I had no sleep the night before. 'Twas weird.

[Mikachu Yukitatsu]

First of all, thanks for giving me the credit, not sure if I deserved it. To the point then.

Becoming a professional artist may be appealing, but most people fail to realize their childhood dreams. I believe every single person is born with a special talent. For example each of us has their own unique drawing style, and it's only a matter of how one can cultivate that. This is why I don't like art classes as much as one would expect. Teachers often seem to force students to make things not in their own way. As a teacher myself, I can tell the phrase 'don't do as I do, do as I say' can also work in the other way around 'don't do as I say, do as I do'!

Then there's the fact that being an artist is expensive. You may end up with a negative outcome easily and often all you get from your piece of art is kind words. But if you prefer that for money, it's OK. Of course, criticism isn't always just kind words. You'll have to swallow your pride and try to accept what other people want to say. It's just that you don't notice your own mistakes as easily as the others do, and that's why you learn better from the mistakes that someone else told you did.

As for myself, I have been drawing things my entire life, and still my style isn't perfect. It'll never be. I may still not use shadowing after 60 years. I have tried to draw shadows several times, but it just doesn't fit me. Maybe I'll find a way to express shadowing in my drawing style one day, but maybe not.

I have also a musical life of my own, having composed 'music' with Music Creation For Playstation, an old and simple music creation software. I also like to 'sing', but other people around me have hard time listening to my terrible voice.

[Katie]

Rock Band drums are not drums. Just saying. I doubt someone "in the biz" will care about your video game scores past humoring your dad for the sake of their friendship.

I have no skills or talents. Imma bum.

[Becky]

Mikachu, I think you've got such a nice way of wording things..well said. And good for you for staying true to who you are with your artistic style.

Matt, Brian has some friends who have tried to get me into Rock Band, but it's just something I haven't been interested in. I just can't seem to get into it at all!

[mattbcl]

shazza: Must've been a little odd. I would imagine that from a certain standpoint it would have been a bit daunting - on the other hand, you didn't have to look at everyone who was listening! That part has scared me from childhood on up into adulthood. I can't shake stage fright.

Mika: I've very little interest in becoming a professional music artist. I'd rather be a professional author, although that is a brand of art, in and of itself. It's partially why I post fics here... I want to know what people think of it, whether they enjoy it or not, so that I can work to improve my style and get closer to that dream goal of mine. Maybe it's for naught... maybe I'll have to wait 60 years and then you can draw shadowed figures for my first published work? ;)

Katie: Oh, I'm well-aware that RB drums are poor substitutes for "the real thing". Nevertheless, I've learned a lot from playing mine, and I use a professional-grade electronic set (many people out there argue those aren't "real drums" either, but no one's yet told me why the acoustic brand is the only type that qualifies) which stands up to my abuse far more gracefully than my previous stock controllers - a kit which I believe has contributed to my skill continuing to improve. But be that as it may, it's true that I still very much consider myself an amateur, and I agree there's no way any real music professional would base any decisions or impressions on my leaderboard scores. I'm pretty certain my dad has a notion that I should join up with his church's youth band, though. They don't require more than the most basic skill.

Becky: Eh, it's not for everyone, as with most games. In spite of the Facebook posts last weekend, I cower at the thought of singing in public; I also don't like playing the guitar or bass sections, and the keyboard support they introduced in the latest iteration is flatly impossible for me. I sit behind the group and do my thing, and that's good enough for me.

[Magmar]

You may end up with a negative outcome easily and often all you get from your piece of art is kind words. But if you prefer that for money, it's OK. Of course, criticism isn't always just kind words. You'll have to swallow your pride and try to accept what other people want to say. It's just that you don't notice your own mistakes as easily as the others do, and that's why you learn better from the mistakes that someone else told you did.

And that is the spirit of being an artist. You said that very eloquently =)

As for me... I have a knack for picking up an instrument and figuring out the theory of it, then playing something simple and going from there. I taught myself piano and bass guitar that way. As for my acoustic guitar, well, I have big, flexible hands... Which does make it easier to reach and play complex chords, but unfortunately it's hard to really discipline myself to somehow push only the proper strings down on the fret, and a lack of practice means the chords sound really awful. But I keep trying anyway. When I decided to learn guitar, I disciplined myself to no longer bite my nails so that I could use them to hold down strings instead of the stubs of my fingers. Too many bloody finger moments.

[mattbcl]

So, an update on what my dad's had on his mind since observing the videos I posted to my Facebook last week.

This coming November, his church (for which he's the minister) is having a special Communion service known as the U2charist (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U2charist), in which modern rock songs - most commonly those found in U2's repertoire - are performed in lieu of traditional hymns. For this occasion, donations go to the cause Imagine No Malaria (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imagine_No_Malaria). So he, in a bout of typical wry cleverness, has established The Swat Team, a loose band of young musicians.

This is all well and good, of course, but one of the songs he offered for their consideration is "One Vision" by Queen. They love it, they want to do it, but it includes a complex beat that the other members can't master. Knowing that this song is in my repertoire, my dad asked me to... well, help out. And being the sort of guy who prefers to do nice things - and also the sort of guy who can't say "no" - I agreed to at least attend a practice session. (He doesn't hold the sessions, that's delegated to the band leader, a local newspaper writer / musician / hobbyist of various stripes).

The Swat Team had practice this evening. Not nearly as daunting as I thought it would be, especially as I haven't been to a band practice of any kind in eleven years. I apparently did well enough that the band leader asked me to do another two songs with them.

It's going to be an interesting few weeks.