My younger son played in five concerts last weekend at the Underground Music Showcase downtown. (Given the remuneration, you could also call it the Underpaid Music Showcase.) Only two of these concerts had been rehearsed. The other three concerts were with acts who observed my son's skill as a rock violinist and invited him to sit in as an impromptu guest player. This challenged my son with performing on songs he had never heard before.
Sizing up an unfamiliar song is like reconnoitering unknown terrain. The first objective is to get the general lay of the land. My son does this as he listens to the first verse of the song. He immediately identifies the key and then concentrates on spotting any peculiar chord changes or rhythmic jolts that could send his playing off a cliff.
He begins playing simple accompaniment and fills on the second verse, getting a feel for the song's topology. His playing now is analogous to blazing a trail through the wilderness.
By the third time through, he is confident enough with his understanding of the musical landscape to take a solo. The solo is a virtuoso performance, an exciting dance along the trail, akin to the cadenza in a classical concerto. When my son is in fine fettle, his solo revisits the musical landmarks – vivid melodies or catchy rhythms – from the song's earlier verses and then dances away from the trail to discover wilder vistas. But if he is feeling sluggish or is uninspired by the song, his solo stays safely on the trail, trudging along with formulaic noodling. Fortunately, this weekend my son's solos did more dancing than trudging.
