NAMM Vlog + a ton of thoughts on gear and stuff

Hey Patrons!

I flew out to LA for the first time in my life to check out NAMM, it was a crazy, somewhat surreal experience, and I've been collecting a lot of thoughts on the whole thing. 

I talk about the LA vs NY thing towards the end of the vlog, but I also wanted to address here a common rejoinder among musicians and music educators - "Gear does not matter." I know exactly why that sentiment is repeated over and over, because it can be quite a useful one for overcoming a universal roadblock for us all - the desire to aquire more things, because the things that you have aren't as shiny as the things that you could have.

It can be particularly vexing for musicians because shiny new gear can legitimately INSPIRING. Shit, getting my hands on a 6-string fretless F bass, or a $25k acoustic Fodera bass (yes, that was a thing) would give me many many hours and days of inspiration and drive - the kind that's difficult to achieve otherwise.  

Any sort of ascetic desire to not want to aquire cooler and more useful equipment for the sake of being detached from worldly possessions doesn't jive with the more artistic mindset of constantly having passions inflamed for the sake of creative work. Gear is cool. Gear is fun. Gear is good. #gordongecko

That said, the reason why the mantra of "gear doesn't matter," is important is because the mindset of pining for a piece of equipment is a trap that's hard to escape. Desire to work hard and find inspiration in what you have already is sapped the more time you spend looking around you at things you don't own. Gear matters, but it's far more important to adopt a mentality as if it didn't, because creating awesome art with the equipment you have is how you grow and find deeper connection to what it is that you have.

I play a 4-string Mexican Fender P-Bass. I love it to death. It certainly doesn't play as fast as some of the crazy boutique instruments that I played at NAMM, but I know it inside and out. I know where the dead spots are, I know which notes sing out, I know how to control the tone precisely through my technique, and I know how it sounds with a full band. KNOWING gear is the true goal of an musician, because that knowledge you can leverage. Constantly buying new things - or pining for new things - can be a hinderance in learning the instrument that you have.

Peace,

Adam