That's the thing about the blues: It's one thing to hit a note on a guitar. To make it matter is something else altogether.
Interpretation
Playing music is not just about hitting the right notes; it's about conveying emotion and depth.
This quote by Joe Bonamassa emphasizes the distinction between technical skill and emotional expression in music. While anyone can play the correct notes on a guitar, the true essence of music, especially the blues, lies in the ability to convey feelings and connect with the audience on a deeper level. It suggests that mastery in music involves not only technical proficiency but also a profound understanding of emotion and storytelling.
In practice
This quote can be used in a music workshop to inspire participants to focus on emotional expression.
Nobody taught me to play bottleneck. I just saw it and taught myself. I got an old bottle and steamed the label off, put it on the wrong finger, I basically did everything wrong until I met some of the Blues legends early in my career who taught me another way. I didn't have anyone to tell me women didn't play bottleneck.
I grew up with the Grand Ole Opry, Dottie West, Conway Twitty, Buck Owens... not realizing it was influencing me as much as it was.
When I started to sing like myself - as opposed to imitating Nat Cole, which I had done for a while - when I started singing like Ray Charles, it had this spiritual and churchy, this religious or gospel sound. It had this holiness and preachy tone to it. It was very controversial. I got a lot of criticism for it.
Most frontmen are not born hams like David Lee Roth. We're more like Joey Ramone: awkward geeks who somehow find our place in the world on the stage.
If you want to play something that you hear, you need to listen with your mind's eye. You've heard of the mind's eye, right? Your mind has an ear too. It's a kind of listening, but it's not using your ears to listen. It's listening with your inner ear, and that's what you want to translate onto the guitar.
I'd say three years ago we played in my hometown of San Antonio for 55,000 people at the Alamodome and walking out there with a crowd like that is just, you're excited, you're scared. There are just so many emotions going on. I still get nervous for things like that until after I sing about the first one or two songs, then I settle down.
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