The Hum Dinger

In my 5th grade class our teacher had us do a week long project called The Hum-Dinger.

Here’s how it went.

At the front of the classroom on a chair was a brown grocery bag.  The teacher reached into the bag, apparently flipped a switch, and the contraption in the bag would hummmmmmmmmmmmmmm and then DING! then hummmmmmmmmm and then DING!

A Hum-Dinger. True to its title.

We split into groups of five.  

One person from each group was elected to go up to the brown paper bag at the front of the class room and was allowed to reach into the bag and feel the contraption as it was humming and dinging.

You couldn’t look inside the bag but could touch what was in there.

Then each group was given it’s own paper bag that we were instructed to dump out it’s contents on the middle of the desk.

So now, on our desk was all the same (disassembled) components of a Hum-Dinger and we were instructed to make a machine that hummed and dinged.

We’d all heard the machine. One of us had felt the machine. None of us knew where to begin building a machine like this.

So we began.

It was a lot of the one person trying to communicate what they’d felt in the bag.  Maybe this wire goes here, errrr, no, maybe this wooden dowel has to be connected to the paper clip and the paper clip is hitting the bell.  Lots of attempts, no solutions.

So that was Monday.

On Tuesday, new insight. Everyone from each group got to go up to the front and touch the machine that was inside the brown bag.

So now there was lot’s of new ‘expert’ opinions. No I felt this. No I think it was that.  There was a lot more talking about what to do than actual doing.

Wednesday everyone got to feel the machine again. Still not allowed to look in the bag.  

The second go-around with everyone in the group being able to feel how that machine worked seemed to be the tipping point.

We recognized that there were some parts that were just fluff, just for show.  They were only really there as a distraction and didn’t have anything to do with the hum or the ding.  

By this time we had the hum locked down, and were searching for a consistent ding to sound off intermittently.  

Our group figured it out Thursday…we were the second group in the class to get it.  When the first group figured it out before us we were all jealous and frustrated and wanted them to just show us how they did it so we could be winners too.

But when we got it (without the other group telling us how), it was pretty awesome.  

It hummed. It ding’d.  And that was the sound of success.


The sound of success sounds a lot different now.  Or what I want success to sound and look like.

I’ve decided not to point out every nuance and life lesson that this story so beautifully illustrates. 

Because honestly, there’s way too many for one blog post.

I’m pretty certain that everything about working, succeeding, failing, relationships and persevering in the music business is found right here in 5th grade building The Hum Dinger.

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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com

How Do You Know You Had A Good Show?

How do you know if you had a good show?

The most common answer, taken to the extreme is a version of:

“I knew I had a good show because when I got off stage Paul McCartney was standing there in tears telling me how amazing the show was.”

Here’s the thing: Now you need Paul McCartney at all of your shows.

Here’s the problem: Paul McCartney can’t be at all of your shows.

Here’s another problem: The shows that he is at, he’s not always going to be moved to tears, sometimes he only pats you on the shoulder and says ‘Good game’.

So now there’s ANOTHER problem: Paul McCartney was in tears one night and now is only doing a pat on the shoulder.  So now it’s not enough for Paul McCartney to be AT my show. And it’s not enough for him to think it was good and to tell me it was good…I NEED HYSTERICAL TEARS every night more than the last…else I just don’t know if the show measured up.

And of course Paul McCartney represents: the size of the crowd, the volume of the clapping, the size of the venue, your mode of transportation to the venue, the demographic of the audience, the line at the merch table, etc etc etc.

It’s never enough. Paul McCartney at your show waiting for you when you get off stage is not enough. Oh it would be an incredible thrill and I hope it happens, and please tell me the story when it does.  Come over and my wife and I will make you dinner (she is the master chef and I am in very much an assistant role).

Reassurance is a lonely race.  You always need a little more when you get a little more.  More on that here.

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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com

Utilizing All Your Potential

No one is going to come along and utilize all your potential. 

You’re going to have to do it. 

You are going to have to put your potential into practice, into action.  YOU are going to have to come along and utilize all your potential.

When ‘utilizing all your potential’ is put back into your court as oppose to someone elses’ court, I question how many of us are even actually willing to go there.

Someone can, and probably will, come along and utilize some of your potential, but then it will be your responsibility to figure out a way to up the ante and put the rest in.

I hope you do. I hope I do.

Will we?

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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com

Nightcap 16

I’ve had some phases in life where I let go of the handshake too early, sorry.

The truth is we all like getting looks from people, as long as they’re the people we want to get looks from.

We spend very little time talking about love but lots of time singing about it.

If you’re burned out it means you should have rested 6 months ago.

It’s not everyday that it’s today.

The Beatles had three lead singers but only two vocal mics on stage. It wasn’t because they couldn’t afford a third mic.

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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com

Boo’d Off Stage

Everyone is so focused on getting a standing ovation, it’s interesting to think what it would take to get boo’d off stage every once and a while.

Maybe once every couple years.

What would push it over the edge?

Would it be bad singing? Adding chorus after chorus after chorus to the same song? Giving a provocative speech? Picking your nose through your hit song while you’re suppose to be singing?  Writing a song on the fly about the awful city you’re in?

And I would argue that if you got boo’d off stage once every couple years, more people will come to the gigs.  Because if you’re willing to get boo’d off stage, that tells everyone that the possibilities are endless with you.  

People will hand over money for that.  Maybe THIS will be the show that it happens???

Think about you. Think about your show. Think about getting boo’d.

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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com

That Sounds Great...But When?

So many ideas.  So many things to do.  So many great ideas that would benefit you and the world around you.

Artists never seem to have a shortage of the ‘what’, never a shortage of ideas.

With so much ‘what’ floating around all the time I’ve lost interest.  I’m tired of hearing about my ideas and your ideas.  Every artist has a huge what.

And your what is great…but when?

When are you going to do this idea and that idea and that other new idea?

So artists fumble around when asked when.  Because ‘when’ puts you on the hook. 

When someone asks about ‘what’ you can be as specifically general as you want: “I’m working on putting together this amazing concept album about a pack of spotted unicorns that take over the fashion district in London”. 

Great!

When will it be done so can I hear it? 

If you say Tuesday: I can come back around and ask you on Tuesday because that’s when you said it would be all set.

But you won’t say Tuesday, you’ll say “I mean, it’ll be done when it’s done. I’ll get to finishing it when the spirit moves.  I just gotta wait for a little more inspiration…yadda yadda yadda…”

Discipline yourself to have less whats and more whens.

p.s.  When and why have a great relationship.  As your why grows, the when gets sooner.  Or maybe doesn’t necessarily get sooner but gets more focused and clear even if it’s not sooner.

p.p.s. “I’m tired of hearing about my ideas and your ideas.”- Let me be more specific here. I’m tired of hearing my ideas and your ideas if there is not a direct turn to why, when and how.  

(So I actually love hearing about ideas…both mine and yours) 

It would be one thing if we had a lack of ideas, but I just don’t observe that to be the case.

If you’re reading this blog you’re most likely a creative of some type (probably a musician of some sort), and creatives have stock piles of ideas, dreams, things to do one day.  I’ve never met an artist with no ideas at all.  But I’ve met tons with lots.

If you don’t self impose a when, you won’t.




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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com