What's your philosophy on performing solos, particularly difficult solos?

My feeling has always been that no one has ever achieved greatness by playing it safe. At the same time, I've always felt that you should practice at the edge of your skill set but perform from the middle of it. I'm not one to be shy about making a fool of myself so I will sometimes take chances and if they work out it's great but if they don't I fall on my face, and I'm okay with that.

What's your approach to soloing? This can be anything from the godawful but thankfully brief Bolero solo in an orchestra, to improvising in a jazz combo, to performing Gunnar de Frumerie's Cello Concerto, to soloing on a studio recording, to doing I'm Getting Sentimental Over You at a dance, to playing a haunting solo piece at a funeral full of mourners, etc., all of which I've done.

What's your take?

[quote="tbdana"]What's your philosophy on performing solos, particularly difficult solos?

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….you should practice at the edge of your skill set but perform from the middle of it. I'm not one to be shy about making a fool of myself so I will sometimes take chances and if they work out it's great but if they don't I fall on my face, and I'm okay with that. …

What's your approach to soloing?

What's your take?[/quote]

This. Good advice. What feels ‘in the middle’ at a practice session can feel differently in a performance situation. I’d probably opt for ‘upper middle’ to promote growth.

If I feel good musicianship around me I don't play safe.

Leif