A few thoughts on the concept of talent
Author Stergios Loustas
In 1869 Sir Francis Galton introduced the term ‘nature versus nurture’ in his book ‘Hereditary Genius’. He suggested that the boundaries of human achievement were determined by nature, essentially implying that how good people can be at anything depends on their inborn abilities. In other words, on how lucky they were with their genetic code. He wrote that man should find true moral repose in an honest conviction that he is engaged in as much good work as his nature rendered him capable of performing. Beyond the fact that the word ‘nature’ makes the whole argument of talent more attractive, the bottom line in his book is clear: Some people have it, some people don’t. But what are the implications of this approach on our relationship with music? Continue reading the article »
Am I really too old to start playing music?
Author Stergios Loustas
The idea that people should start to play an instrument at a tender age if they want to stand a chance in music, is a by-product of the musical rat race. Only an extremely competitive environment will actually care about how young you were when you started, or how many hours you’ve spent practicing scales. It all boils down to myth. The myth needs to talk about someone who was deprived of all childhood pleasures in the past, and that he/she has spent thousands of hours of patient practicing, so that you are now lucky enough to listen to this great musician. This is a convenient process through which we all inflate our egos. However, music should be all about having a normal life and leaving our little vanities aside. The notions of the ‘lost train to success’ and ‘hard work’ have shaped our conceptions about playing, learning and teaching music. They are the great obstacles between us and the enjoyment of music. Continue reading the article »
Old-time fiddling: Meanings and implications of a different approach to the violin. Part 1: Playing the ‘wrong’ way
Author Stergios Loustas
I feel that my involvement in old-time fiddling has proven extremely beneficial for both my playing and sense of musicianship in general. In order to justify this assertion, I would like to examine a few aspects of old-time fiddling and make a few short comments. These comments will be based on my short old-time fiddling experience and some general views on skill development and the acquisition of knowledge. I am aware of course that by no means are they valid among all practitioners of old-time fiddle, but I think they describe certain tendencies, strong enough to be ascribed to the very nature of this musical tradition and its performance. Continue reading the article »
Old-time fiddling: Meanings and implications of a different approach to the violin. Part 2: The means being the ends
Author Stergios Loustas
A very interesting principle I have found hidden in the way old-time fiddlers approach music is the absence of a rigid separation between practice and playing. For many old-time fiddlers the actual playing experience is the key element in their learning. In my experience, the word ‘practice’ is not often found in the vocabulary of old-time fiddlers.
But what is the concept of ‘deliberate practice’? Continue reading the article »
Session 2-The major pentatonic scale: Tips on how to use it
Author Stergios Loustas
This session is a short introduction to the major pentatonic scale. This scale is widely used by musicians all over the world, so it deserves our attention early in our sessions. Pentatonic scales are made of 5 different notes and are extremely useful and interesting. This is because they seem to have an innate musical meaning and they tend to sound more as ‘real music’ compared to the heptatonic scale we have all heard and sung many times in our lives: C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C. Whatever musical style you are into, the simplicity, openness and inherent musicality of the major pentatonic scale will always enrich your playing. Continue reading the article »
Self-learning and music: It’s all up to you
Author Stergios Loustas
Self-learning in music is a highly ignored and underestimated concept.
Formal music learning is a privilege. This is firstly because a lot of people are not capable of funding their music tuition. Secondly, people very often tend to be interested in musical styles and traditions that were developed and popularized outside their cultural boundaries. Thus, the presence of knowledgeable and specialized teachers is often highly improbable. These two facts impose great difficulties on the prospective music learner. As a consequence, a lot of people resort to self-tuition or other forms of informal learning. Continue reading the article »
Session 1-Tips on how to approach musical improvisation
Author Stergios Loustas
I would like to offer a few tips on how to approach musical improvisation. They will hopefully point you in the direction of simplifying your approach in improvisation and encourage your musical freedom. Good improvisers are not smarter than everybody else. And they are certainly not geniuses. Continue reading the article »
Christopher Small is no longer with us
Author Stergios Loustas
Christopher Small, a wonderful personality and writer, passed away on September 7th 2011. He was the author of three books, Music, Society and Education, Music of the Common Tongue and Musicking. I had the honour of translating his book Musicking into Greek with Demetra Papastavrou. I came across Small’s ideas for the first time while I was working on my improvisation research. It was one of these reading experiences that make you feel that you’ve known the writer for a long time. During the translation of Musicking I had the chance to delve deeper into his views and appreciate my musical experiences in a more fruitful way. Small’s writing was intimate, capturing and away from academic conventions. Continue reading the article »
Purism in Jazz: Purism as the end of jazz history
Author Stergios Loustas
Purism in jazz represents the idea of returning to the aesthetic, harmonic and melodic principles of the jazz period that starts with Ellington, Armstrong and ends with the emergence of free jazz in the late 1950s or early 1960s. This suggests the marking of this musical period of jazz as ‘the Golden Era’ and its consequent election as a new form of ‘Classical Music’. Ultimately purism represents a set of values with further political, historical and philosophical implications. Continue reading the article »
Ragtime and the banjo: Scott Joplin’s ‘The Entertainer’ as played by Jimmie Arnold on his ‘Rainbow ride’ album
Author Stergios Loustas
Jimmie Arnold was one of my favourite banjo players and Scott Joplin was undoubtedly the most important of the composers who defined the ragtime idiom, which was popularized in the 1890s and 1910s. This recording is indicative of the fact that ragtime thrived on the creative appropriations of other musical idioms. Although performed on the 5-string banjo, which is strongly associated with bluegrass music, rather than on the 4-string, the recording brings out the banjo background of ragtime music. Continue reading the article »
1st Gypsy jazz Festival in Greece
Author Stergios Loustas
In May 2010 the first Gypsy Jazz festival took place in Athens, Greece. The festival was a sold out success. More than a thousand people watched the 7 bands paying their tribute to Django Reinhardt, Stephane Grappelli and all the other great musicians who have shaped in their own personal way what we call today the gypsy jazz idiom. For those of us who had the honour to play for such an enthousiastic audience, it was a memorable night. Continue reading the article »
My good friend and great guitarist Yiannis Gougourelas
Author Stergios Loustas
Yiannis Gougourelas
When I started playing bluegrass banjo in my teens I always thought that I would never have the chance to have a bluegrass guitarist around to play with in Greece. Not only did I find one but he was so good I could not believe it. Luck had offered me more than I could ever imagine. Yiannis’ sound is simply outstanding. So full and satisfying, almost therapeutical. Having examined closely Tony Rice’s style and tone production, Yiannis’ high quality sound is basically his trademark. Continue reading the article »