Lifelong Whatever

In Power Line: Maynard Ferguson, RIP, Seth Leibsohn says,

"Sadly, I could never play like he could and out of frustration, hung it all up (the way I'm told some golf players give up when they are unable to play the way the great ones they try to emulate play). "

I have friends who gave up music after getting Masters' degrees because they were unable to achieve the expectations they'd built up for themselves.

Me, I'm not all that talented or skilled, and I really never practice, but I play at a jam every week, I perform regularly, and I really am a better musician than I was a year ago, or five, or twenty.

For me music is a joy and I make other people happy doing it. For my friends, it's a disappointing part of their lives that they've left behind.

I'm as achievement oriented as the next guy, but when I give music workshops, I tell attendees just to do it as a social activity -- not to worry about being great.

I think the key is playing, and one key to playing is doing it as an excuse to hang out with other folks.

Maybe I'm wrong, but it's still working for me.