Folk music students graduate

Subject: RE: Folk music students graduate
From: Grab
Date: 13 Jul 05 - 11:35 AM

Paul McCartney was once asked why he never learned to read music and he replied "when you have clear boundaries of what you can and cannot do in music you lose the edge of experimentation".

Sir Paul clearly then had no clue as to what education gives you. This shows more about his fear and mistrust of the education "system" than about the actual state of things. And interestingly, Paul McCartney's work post-Beatles was trite and derivative - an injection of new techniques and new ideas might have helped him pull through rather than fade away.

For a rock/pop example, Queen are perhaps the best at disproving his thinking - every one of them had extensive formal training in music, and their music still looks original and unconventional today. Education doesn't stop you innovating - if you don't go further than what you've been taught, that is a personal failing in yourself and not a failing of your teaching. Which is exactly what you said in your last sentence, so I guess we're agreeing with each other! :-)

Graham.

Subject: RE: Folk music students graduate
From: shepherdlass
Date: 13 Jul 05 - 06:15 PM

And that "raw talent" Paul McCartney had George Martin's highly trained sensibilities to help him arrange his already brilliant melodies and lyrics. Inspiration plus education.