Play songs you know on gigs. Know them as well as you can. If you like a song, don’t be ashamed to play it. If you don’t like a song, don’t play. If you don’t know a song, don’t play it. Learn it at home first, then play it.
A good musician friend of mine has been reminding me to :
- tell a story
- build my solos
- don’t be afraid to stretch out
It’s been great advice and has helped me a lot. Telling stories is great – I love this about music. And the story can be about anything. Listen to Frank Zappa!
Listen to Bill Evans, too. He was a fan of playing the same songs over and over again so he could get the most out of the song. I like his philosophy!