This thread shares how Vic Wooten, a legendary bassist, teaches that mistakes in music aren't really wrong—they're about context and feeling. If a note sounds off, just change the context or feel. Wooten shows that making music with "wrong" notes can still be beautiful, encouraging us to see mistakes as part of growth and creativity. It’s about loving music and learning to embrace errors.
Reminder to tomorrow-Visa to make a thread about how this video changed my life (approach to mistakes and failure, and the expectations and feelings around them)
@visakanv
this is true regardless of how you choose to define success; whether we're talking abt climbing the corporate ladder or being an artist. I'm reminded of Vic Wooten talking about how he deliberately practices wrong notes (worth watching even if non-musical) https://t.co/5cywxUyepm
OK so some context – Vic Wooten is a *phenomenal* bass player, considered by many to be the best in the world. He was raised by a musical family, and has a "music is a language, you should learn via osmosis" type of philosophy that I personally find very profound and affirming
The chromatic scale is when you literally play every single note on the piano or guitar. It's like reciting the numbers or the alphabet. People typically use it for mindless finger practice. Wooten argues that we should LISTEN to the music in these boring, mechanical sounds
Now here he is demonstrating what it's like to play the chromatic scale, *musically*, over music. Just witnessing this blew my mind. It's like someone reciting the alphabet in a moving, poetic way. Harder than that, since some notes are "wrong". Wooten doesn't believe in "wrong"
It gets wilder. An audience member requests "can you play ONLY the wrong notes?" HE DOES IT, THE MADMAN
Victor Wooten does not accept your rules about what is right and wrong in music. His ear is so refined, his feeling so deft, that he can make music that's "wrong" yet musical
If you didn't already think "this man is a sorcerer", he then goes on to perfectly role-play a sloppy show-off amateur musician! "It's the feel that makes the note work. Get the feel right and you can play anything."
This man's galaxy-brain relationship with music *awes* me
If you're wondering, this is how he sounds when he isn't deliberately playing wrong notes. and using a loop pedal to play multiple different parts at once. his brain-to-fingers-to-instrument pathway is so strong and clear, he's basically just fooling around having fun w/o thought
the thing thing I love about him so much is not just his genius, but his nurturing, encouraging approach to teaching. he isn't trying to impress you with how good he is (he knows how good he is, and he knows you know too). he just loves music and wants to help you love it too
if by now you're guessing he'd also have some meaningful, interesting and wholesome things to say about *learning itself*, you'd be absolutely correct
@visakanv
@selfprime @webdevMason Btw Mason I think you’d enjoy this - Victor Wooten, musical genius and incredible teacher + communicator, on a healthy, “natural language” approach to learning. So wholesome and encouraging, “learn-via-osmosis” school of thought https://t.co/w39HOW2A7C
all mistakes are contextual, and context is something that you can change
finite players play within boundaries, infinite players play *with* boundaries
@Malcolm_Ocean
@visakanv Herbie Hancock describing a similar realization he had early on playing with Miles Davis, and "right in the middle of Miles Davis' solo, I played the wrong chord. Sounded like a big mistake! ...and Miles paused for a second... then he played some notes that made my chord right." https://t.co/NsDiTfdH5g
I’ve started getting my vocal students to make ugly, weird sounds. They’re scared of hitting the wrong note and I happen to be of the opinion that singing is 80% hitting wrong notes so you know where they are.
ugh he's so good in so many ways, what a genius, what a natural, what a teacher. "we teach you pitch when we should be teaching you context", oh my god
I truly can't with this man. Galaxy brain shit. Musical magician 🤯
“you can make every note work with every chord [...] rather than say this note is good or bad, it’s more, this note hasn’t found it’s consequence yet, or this note is in the wrong context [...] if it feels right, then it's probably fine." – @jacobcollier
you see how this applies not just to music, but to almost all mistakes, all "failures". you just need to find a resolution, you just need to adapt the context.
if you make music with the wrong notes, they're not wrong anymore
@visakanv
lesson here: anything you do - however mediocre, tedious, clunky, imperfect - can be a stepping stone, a foundation, a springboard for something more wonderful https://t.co/S2IAyHmclJ
Lithuanian composer and conductor Mindaugas Piečaitis, directs his orchestra on the notes of Nora the cat playing the piano. She earns a standing ovation.
https://t.co/PFvt7RkmTG
Reminder to tomorrow-Visa to make a thread about how this video changed my life (approach to mistakes and failure, and the expectations and feelings around them)OK so some context – Vic Wooten is a *phenomenal* bass player, considered by many to be the best in the world. He was raised by a musical family, and has a "music is a language, you should learn via osmosis" type of philosophy that I personally find very profound and affirmingThe chromatic scale is when you literally play every single note on the piano or guitar. It's like reciting the numbers or the alphabet. People typically use it for mindless finger practice. Wooten argues that we should LISTEN to the music in these boring, mechanical soundsNow here he is demonstrating what it's like to play the chromatic scale, *musically*, over music. Just witnessing this blew my mind. It's like someone reciting the alphabet in a moving, poetic way. Harder than that, since some notes are "wrong". Wooten doesn't believe in "wrong""When there's a note that doesn't work, there's a note on either side of the note that DOES work."
NOBODY TELLS YOU THIS.
"It's always easy! but we make it hard!". "A minute ago this note didn't work, but now it does. I can *erase* the wrong note by *making music*."
AmazingIt gets wilder. An audience member requests "can you play ONLY the wrong notes?" HE DOES IT, THE MADMAN
Victor Wooten does not accept your rules about what is right and wrong in music. His ear is so refined, his feeling so deft, that he can make music that's "wrong" yet musicalIf you didn't already think "this man is a sorcerer", he then goes on to perfectly role-play a sloppy show-off amateur musician! "It's the feel that makes the note work. Get the feel right and you can play anything."
This man's galaxy-brain relationship with music *awes* meIf you're wondering, this is how he sounds when he isn't deliberately playing wrong notes. and using a loop pedal to play multiple different parts at once. his brain-to-fingers-to-instrument pathway is so strong and clear, he's basically just fooling around having fun w/o thoughtthe thing thing I love about him so much is not just his genius, but his nurturing, encouraging approach to teaching. he isn't trying to impress you with how good he is (he knows how good he is, and he knows you know too). he just loves music and wants to help you love it tooturns out he was holding back in that last vidif by now you're guessing he'd also have some meaningful, interesting and wholesome things to say about *learning itself*, you'd be absolutely correctall mistakes are contextual, and context is something that you can change
finite players play within boundaries, infinite players play *with* boundarieslearn to be ok with being wrongugh he's so good in so many ways, what a genius, what a natural, what a teacher. "we teach you pitch when we should be teaching you context", oh my godI truly can't with this man. Galaxy brain shit. Musical magician 🤯Miles Davis saying the same thing“you can make every note work with every chord [...] rather than say this note is good or bad, it’s more, this note hasn’t found it’s consequence yet, or this note is in the wrong context [...] if it feels right, then it's probably fine." – @jacobcollieryou see how this applies not just to music, but to almost all mistakes, all "failures". you just need to find a resolution, you just need to adapt the context.
if you make music with the wrong notes, they're not wrong anymorebecome a connoisseur of your own mistakesdeliberate use of dissonant or "wrong" notes to achieve a desired effectnice thread digging into the specifics of what wooten is doingdelicious use of a “wrong” note, by @evntyd“Anytime I hit, it is correct.” - Dizzy Gillespieyou can erase the ‘wrong’ notes by making music
yes
Reminder to tomorrow-Visa to make a thread about how this video changed my life (approach to mistakes and failure, and the expectations and feelings around them) ... OK so some context – Vic Wooten is a *phenomenal* bass player, considered by many to be the best in the world. He was raised by a musical family, and has a "music is a language, you should learn via osmosis" type of philosophy that I personally find very profound and affirming ... The chromatic scale is when you literally play every single note on the piano or guitar. It's like reciting the numbers or the alphabet. People typically use it for mindless finger practice. Wooten argues that we should LISTEN to the music in these boring, mechanical sounds ... Now here he is demonstrating what it's like to play the chromatic scale, *musically*, over music. Just witnessing this blew my mind. It's like someone reciting the alphabet in a moving, poetic way. Harder than that, since some notes are "wrong". Wooten doesn't believe in "wrong" ... "When there's a note that doesn't work, there's a note on either side of the note that DOES work."
NOBODY TELLS YOU THIS.
"It's always easy! but we make it hard!". "A minute ago this note didn't work, but now it does. I can *erase* the wrong note by *making music*."
Amazing ... It gets wilder. An audience member requests "can you play ONLY the wrong notes?" HE DOES IT, THE MADMAN
Victor Wooten does not accept your rules about what is right and wrong in music. His ear is so refined, his feeling so deft, that he can make music that's "wrong" yet musical ... If you didn't already think "this man is a sorcerer", he then goes on to perfectly role-play a sloppy show-off amateur musician! "It's the feel that makes the note work. Get the feel right and you can play anything."
This man's galaxy-brain relationship with music *awes* me ... If you're wondering, this is how he sounds when he isn't deliberately playing wrong notes. and using a loop pedal to play multiple different parts at once. his brain-to-fingers-to-instrument pathway is so strong and clear, he's basically just fooling around having fun w/o thought ... the thing thing I love about him so much is not just his genius, but his nurturing, encouraging approach to teaching. he isn't trying to impress you with how good he is (he knows how good he is, and he knows you know too). he just loves music and wants to help you love it too ... turns out he was holding back in that last vid ... if by now you're guessing he'd also have some meaningful, interesting and wholesome things to say about *learning itself*, you'd be absolutely correct ... all mistakes are contextual, and context is something that you can change
finite players play within boundaries, infinite players play *with* boundaries ... learn to be ok with being wrong ... ugh he's so good in so many ways, what a genius, what a natural, what a teacher. "we teach you pitch when we should be teaching you context", oh my god ... I truly can't with this man. Galaxy brain shit. Musical magician 🤯 ... Miles Davis saying the same thing ... “you can make every note work with every chord [...] rather than say this note is good or bad, it’s more, this note hasn’t found it’s consequence yet, or this note is in the wrong context [...] if it feels right, then it's probably fine." – @jacobcollier ... you see how this applies not just to music, but to almost all mistakes, all "failures". you just need to find a resolution, you just need to adapt the context.
if you make music with the wrong notes, they're not wrong anymore ... become a connoisseur of your own mistakes ... deliberate use of dissonant or "wrong" notes to achieve a desired effect ... nice thread digging into the specifics of what wooten is doing ... delicious use of a “wrong” note, by @evntyd ... “Anytime I hit, it is correct.” - Dizzy Gillespie ... you can erase the ‘wrong’ notes by making music
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