One Year of Gratitude — Day 52

Joshua Briley
Aug 24, 2017 · 2 min read
Photo by Eszter Biró on Unsplash. Thank you, Eszter!

I recently teamed up with a new group of musicians. It is a start-up project that’s focused on my favorite kind of music — the funk. We rehearsed once before my vacation, and we have our second rehearsal this weekend. After that, we will have one or two more practices and then start booking gigs. I love it. Here’s an idea of the music we will be playing:

I am excited to be playing with these guys. Everyone is an experienced player and competent in multiple genres. Moreover, there is a collective passion for funk music. That is huge when it comes to camaraderie.

What else excites me about the project? I thought you’d never ask. Everyone is a great listener. In my opinion, listening is one of the most valuable skills for a musician. My theory is that if we listen to the other players more than we listen to ourselves, we will have a rock-solid band. Listening allows us to use the song as a template for guiding a musical conversation. It frees us from playing the same note-for-note performance night after night. Listening minimizes the need to map out every nuance. When the guitarist wants to kick things up, we go with him. When the singer wants to bring it down to a whisper, we follow. When the bass player wants to throw an excellent fill in the song, we can give him space and appropriate intensity to support his decision. We can extemporaneously experiment and play with the material as opposed to being restricted by it.

We are all doing this because we want to do it, not because of market demand. We are doing this because it makes us happy. Hopefully, our happiness will radiate out to others. What is live music if it is not a tool for spreading joy?

So, today I am happy for my new musical family. I am grateful to be part of a unified mission. I am glad to be able to share the most amazing gift the world has to offer. That gift is the funk!

And that’s your gratitude for today.

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