Monday, November 14, 2016

Sometimes we laugh.

image credit http://thirdmonk.net




Laughter is one of those interesting things.  We do it to bond with others, when we find something funny, to deal with stress, to express joy, and other reasons.

We're told sometimes to "laugh off mistakes".  Is that a good idea?  Yes, and no.  It does no one any good to dwell on making a mistake during a song or drill, because it tends to cause more mistakes down the line at worst and keep us unfocused at best.  But it's also at times all-too-easy to dismiss a mistake that needs to be addressed by laughing at it (even if you're only laughing on the inside).

Keep getting off in your solo?  Sure it makes it easier to be self-deprecating and joke about how awkward it was, but...it doesn't make it easier for others in the group to try to stay solid when you're playing.  Maybe you keep forgetting the sequence of a song, and laughing about it makes the mood lighter, but you're not helping you - or the rest of the group - until you can get it down.

Few things are black and white.  If you're humorless about a mistake, yours or someone else's, then you're just a big ball of stress and that definitely affects your playing and the group dynamics.  If you're always laughing about your mistakes, then things don't really matter and that definitely has an effect on your progress and how much the group can rely on you.

When something is funny, it's funny.  When you need to laugh, laugh!  But don't let humor become a blanket excuse to make everything ok, because that doesn't really help anyone in the long run!

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