Monday, September 26, 2011

Bon mot for the week

"When you hit a wrong note, it's the next note that makes it good or bad."


Miles Davis  (1926-1991)




Oh, there are all kind of metaphors in that! How come I'd never come upon this line before in all my years of listening to Miles?

[A musician acquaintance of mine somewhat spoiled things by explaining that MD might just be acknowledging that the saxophone is a relatively easy instrument to play. Well, he said saxophone, which is what he plays - is it the same with the trumpet? He told me: "You can't be more than a semitone off; so, if you just keep on playing, people hardly ever notice a single bum note." I prefer to think that the great man was talking about musical logic, about how an inadvertent misstep might become a springboard to an unexpected but more satisfying development.]

No comments: