Ted Lo trio at the City Festival/Learning As We Go

  Well I really learned something yesterday. It all started when the sound engineer asked me to turn down a notch from where I was the previous night. I hadn't turned up or changed anything since rehearsal. But I guess I play harder when the show starts. Dig in more, etc. Anyway, folks in the audience were commenting that there was too much bass, and since I wasn't in the house system, there was nothing that the engineer could do. Well tonight while I was warming up, I by chance moved right in front of my speaker, which is elevated considerably higher than normal. This is important too. The center of the cabinet was about ear height. Standing there, I could suddenly hear myself in a lot more detail. The bass was not feeding back, because the amp was somewhat lower volume than where I usually keep it. Also, this new position gave me better sight lines with Ted Lo and drummer Nick McBride. What I found during the show was that I could move further away from the speaker, but that so long as I was directly in the line of fire of the cabinet, the effect remained. So: This new way is good. I can hear the initial parts of the notes much more clearly, which is good for pitch, timing, knowing how hard to play etc. And the bass doesn't feed back. I think this is the new way. I almost hate to admit it, but I think my concentration last night was as good or better than in the Headache shows. I felt so relaxed and had so much space for myself in the music. Not that I always used it well. My solo on How Deep is Your Love was clearly Tomato Worthy :) Well clearly I learned something very important. I'll hang on to it. One more chance to play with these great musicians tonight at 7:45 pm at the Fringe... please come! Hey, please come see Joe Rosenberg's band next week. See my Forum and Event blog below. That'll be the last chance for Creative Music in China programs until late March. I'm going to Indonesia to do some concerts next week, and going to NY in Feb to visit family, record with family, record with friends, meet new potential partners in Creative Music etc.