Exactly.....besides the head in the book stage presence....your a slave to the sheet.....instead when your "Free Playing" or improvising it allows your to do what ever you want & be more creative within a song without being chained to a certain strict regiment every time you play...it allows you to open your horizons musically, play different riffs, passages, use different techniques & lets your imagination go wild while playing with less stringent concentration which definitly becomes ROBOTIC & SOULESS time after time...I have repeatedly expressed my "BLINDFOLD TECHNIC" many times on the SZ which for the most part people think I'm nuts but it will definitly give your the confidence to play without Sheets or Lyrics.....try it sometime......Blindfold yourself and play a whole song & Sing it without looking.
IMO you have to learn how to play effortlessly with outlooking at sheets, the keys, while you sing to the audience....next exercise is to PLAY your KB while someone Talks to you so that you can still keep playing EFFORTLESSLY while your head is turned to talk to them....or listen to their request etc, etc ....without every missing a single beat......I relate this for example to when you first got your driving licence.....first day you were with BOTH hands on the wheel 10-2 gripped tight, tense, stiff & nervous looking straight ahead......then a month or so l8tr you have one arm around your girlfriend, radio blasting, Cigarette in you mouth, using your Knee to steer, looking all over at the pretty girls or whatever, BUT your still "Driving EFFORTLESSLY" now while your mind is doing other things....so you see my point...get into this mode of playing "Effortlessly" & let your fingers do the walking while your enjoy everything else around you!

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Donny

� Choose a Job You Love, and you will Never have to Work a Day in Your Life! �
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And HUG Someone tight Everyday....
You'll Feel better afterwards

[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 07-30-2007).]