I saw this great set of advices written on two sheets of paper by Thelonious Monk posted to the great noiseaddicts blog. Apparently, these were written for the guys playing with him. I’ve always found Monk’s unique (strange) personality and music inspirational. Taking a peek on what is going in his head is always interesting, whether its expressed musically or verbally. Here are the advices (my transcription for online retrieval purposes, you need to look at the original papers to catch his exact train of thought) and the original papers:
1. Monk’s advice
* Just because you’re not a drummer doesn’t mean that you don’t have to keep time.
* Pat your foot, sing the melody in your head when you play.
* Stop playing all (that bullshit, those wierd notes). Play the melody!
* Make the drummer sound good.
* Discrimination is important.
* You’ve got to dig it to dig it, you dig?
* All reet!
* Always know…
* It must be always night, otherwise they wouldn’t need the lights.
* Let’s lift the band stand!!!
* I want to avoid those hecklers.
* Don’t play the piano part, I’m playing that. Don’t listen to me, I’m supposed to be accompaning you!
* The inside of the tune (the bridge) is the part that makes the outside sound good.
* Don’t play everything (or everytime); let some things go by. Some music just imagined. What you don’t play can be more important than what you do play.
* A note can be small as a pin or (as) big as the world, it depends on your imagination.
* Stay in shape! Sometimes a musician waits for a gig & when it comes, he’s out of shape & can’t make it.
* When you are swinging, swing more! (What should we wear tonight? Sharp as possible!)
* Always leave them wanting more.
* Don’t sound anybody for a gig, just be on the scene.
* Those pieces are written so as to have something to play & to get the cats interested enough to come to rehersal!
* You’ve got it! If you don’t want to play, tell a joke or dance, but in any case you got it! (to a drummer who didn’t want to solo)
* Whatever you think can’t be done, somebody will come along & do it. A genius is the one most like himself.
* They tried to get me to hate white people, but someone would always come along & spoil it.
The original papers:
