When you were a little kid taking piano lessons or violin lessons, if you made 5 mistakes per 100 notes, you were an exceptional player, maybe even top of the class. Your parents would weep at the end of your performance.
You keep practicing and practicing year after year and in high school you’ve been able to whittle it down to 1 mistake every 1000.
That’s really good. Not perfect, but really good. You practiced years, took private lessons, played everyday in school.
Now, if you want play for the New York Philharmonic, the difference between 999 correct notes and 1000 correct notes is the size of the grand canyon. And you will have to practice multiple hours per day for years in order to close that gap.
People don’t come from all over the world to hear an orchestra that is mostly right…they come to hear sophisticated perfection. That’s the orchestra gig. Perfection.
But your act isn’t like that. People don’t come for perfection. That’s not your reputation (unless you tell people that’s your reputation).
Bands and artists should be great, and focus on being great at their instruments. The music deserves that.
But the time it would take for you and your band to become absolutely 100% flawless, is not time well spent. You’re not the New York Philharmonic.
People don’t come to you to be moved by perfection, they come to be moved. Totally different gig.
So keep practicing, keep getting better, but remember that just because you don’t make mistakes doesn’t make it important.
If you got perfect at moving people and were imperfect in your playing or singing….sounds like every big act I can think of.
I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com