Comments on: 4 things that I learned from Merton, the Piano Improvisation guy

By: Jeremy Bell

Jeremy Bell — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 11:38:32 +0000

That is amazing that there are 10,000. I would have never guessed that many. There was a show on, I assume that it is still on becuase I dont watch a lot of TV, called Lie To Me. Interesting show. These people were body language experts and they used that to solve crimes and tell if people were lying about testimonies. Seemed like it had a lot to do with facial expressions.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 21:09:04 +0000

Hey Melda! Thanks for the comment. And thanks for the encouragement.

By: Melda Hicks

Melda Hicks — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 15:45:15 +0000

Kevin, good stuff! Are you sure you’re not piano guy? You’re the genius, here, so go for it. Your creative ability is amazing and it is one of your many talents. We’re proud of you.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 04:35:57 +0000

I think being personable is probably one of his strong points… his songwriting, if you think about it, is weak. BUT, being personable buys him a lot of grace. You think?

Thank you Staclynn.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 04:30:48 +0000

Do you think being creative is a skill or a gift? .. just wondering your take.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 04:21:51 +0000

Thanks for that Jeremy. I read a book called “Blink” by Malcomb Gladwell (interesting read). In the book, studies show that there are over 10,000 different expressions that can be detected when watching another persons face! So, I definitely agree with the eye contact point.

By: staclynn

staclynn — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 03:34:48 +0000

hmmm……….first thought he should probably be writing songs. who knows? maybe he does.
biggest thing I can take from it……….being personable.
Kevin your creativity makes me sick.

By: Susan Unthank

Susan Unthank — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 03:09:26 +0000

A lot of thoughts Kevin, just not sure where to start. I wish I was as creative. :)

By: Jeremy Bell

Jeremy Bell — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 02:08:54 +0000

I think the two biggest things he is doing is engaging people and making it personal. He is doing his thing but he is not oblivious on what is going on with the other end or the things around him. Some musicians are bad about this in their performance. They stand up with their music stands and their face buried in their music or the lyrics to a track for Sunday morning church. They have no interaction with each other or the audience. This can be said for day to day life as well. They go along doing their own thing and they have no idea what is going on in the industry and some could probably care less. Another thing this guy looks like he is having fun. This is something that is not a chore or he does grudgingly, he has fun with it and wants to do it. A good point that you had Kevin, you want to be the leader. If you are the one that other people are copying or want to be like, then you have in a sense arrived. And I am sure this guy had many failures at this because this is a “best of” clips. Not everything we do has to be perfect.

And this is just a hobby horse so you can take it for what it is worth. When I mentioned using music and keeping your face buried in a book, this is another turn off for me. I had someone tell me that if I didn’t take the time to memorize and be familiar with what I was singing then that shouldn’t warrant the attention of anyone else because I haven’t taken the time to prepare. I am in a sense saying it wasn’t an important part of my life and you weren’t important enough for me to take the time to prepare. It can say that or I don’t believe what I am singing. Plus if you are not making facial contact how are they going to be able to tell that you believe what you are singing. If you can make eye contact with someone that goes really far whether you are on the performing end or fan end. That is another way you can make someone a “true fan” and make them a part of what you are doing.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 18:14:40 +0000

That’s good advise too!