# How Victor Wooten Understands and Teaches Music



## Grab n Go (May 1, 2013)

This is a bit broader than theory and technique...

Great excerpt from an interview with Victor Wooten. I love his intuitive and accessible approach to teaching.






It kind of reminds me of why I love jamming. It's like good conversation and anyone can be a part of it.


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

I'll watch the video when I get a moment. His book, "The Music Lesson" was a game-changer for me.


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## Alan Small (Dec 30, 2019)

Whit Smith has a similar
natural approach


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## jbealsmusic (Feb 12, 2014)

It seems like all the players whose improvisation and "groove" that I really dig, play with this kind of thought in mind. The ear and feel being the focus, not the theory/numbers. Though, to be fair, most of these guys have music theory and technique so well internalized through years of practice that they can do that without much thought.

More Victor Wooten, on "wrong" notes:





Guthrie Govan on focusing on listening to and internalizing how each interval "feels" when played against the root:
_(the whole video series "words of wisdom" of Guthrie is pretty cool for improvisation)_





Players I've played with whose improvisation I loved all seemed to play like this. They had the theory and technique so well mastered that they could, if they wanted to, just shred up and down the fretboard constantly. But, for the most part, they played simple stuff that just sounded great all the time.

My question is, can you get to that ear/feel place without the decades of mastering the instrument first? Is that skipping an important step? Or, can you just dive right into the "feel" of music? The answer is probably that it depends on the person. Some of us can start with feel, and then learn theory and develop better technique afterwards. Some of us may need to start with the theory/technique, and then try to develop a better "feel" later.

Hard stuff to quantify, really... Great to think about though. Thanks for the reminder!


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## Grab n Go (May 1, 2013)

There was a guy I once knew who could play anything that popped into his head. Ridiculously good technique too. He eventually did some schooling and he definitely internalized what he learned. And that fundamental instinct and ability never went away. He just had more vocabulary to play with. I asked him what he practiced and he said he didn't. He just jammed all the time.

He couldn't really articulate what he was doing either. If he had learned something at one point, he no longer knew how to articulate it. It was just a given.

I guess it makes sense. Our best playing is done when we don't have to think about it--when what we've learned becomes second nature.

Edit: He also has perfect pitch. Bastard.


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