I remember an enthusiastic young fan whom David Amram called up to join him on stage one night years ago. The kid labored to keep up, chording like mad on his 12-string while Amram and bandmates did their virtuosic turns, one by one.

Finally, Dave put the kid out front in no uncertain terms. "And now, Mr Mike!"

"uh oh," I thought, "he's toast."

Wrong. Mike couldn't have thrown off a solo at Amram's level any more than I could. The difference between he and I was...he didn't try. He stuck with his chording. May have added a few licks. But - and this is the key - he stayed within his comfort zone and played what he knew. The tune and the performance stayed solid. Nothing fell apart, nobody was embarassed, nobody had to scramble to cover a hole.

He got a good hand at the end of that solo, and he deserved it. He'd found the way to hold up his end when he was way over his head, when trying to match the hotshots he was up there with would have been suicide.

And I imagine that the confidence (and the high) he got from pulling that off was a helluva motivator.

So often, when we think "break" or "solo", we begin to imagine stuff beyond what we've really worked out, instead of turning first to what we are sure of - however limited or inadequate we may think that is. But that's your foundation. It is where you have to start.

And the most minimal foundation CAN take you places. Once you have the security of knowing you aren't falling apart, other things you've been working on will sooner or later find their way back into your fingers and brain.

I still push too hard and fall apart, if I'm not careful. But Mike, wherever you are, thanks for the lesson. Just about every successful break, solo or lead I've played since owes somethng to that night.

-George