I was performing at a private party a few nights ago and at the end of the evening a middle-aged man came up to me and said "I really enjoyed your performance, but you played Leroy Brown in the wrong key--it was written in Bb (or some other key)."

My response was "Yes, it was written in another key, but my voice cannot handle that key, therefore, I play it in C-maj, which is the most comfortable for my vocal range."

He replied "Oh! I never thought of that. I can only play by the sheet music. By the way, where is your music stand?"

I said "I don't read music--the song is in my head, along with the chord changes and lyrics."

"Wow! I wish I could do that." He said as he walked away.

Obviously, this individual was an excellent player, had a good ear, and was well trained. It was also obvious that if someone took the sheet music from his music stand he couldn't play. As DNJ, Uncle Dave and many others have stated--music comes from the heart and mind--not a piece of paper.

Cheers,

Gary

------------------
Travlin' Easy