There's a meme floating around the internet this week about musical success. I have posted a screen shot of it here. I'm so thankful that I chose to start playing a musical instrument 20 years ago and that I found a style of music that I call "unison melody music" that I am capable of playing. I wish I had started a lot sooner.
I feel like there's a modern day perception that music can only be created by exceptionally talented people and that the bar is so high that it's easier to click play on your phone or drop the needle on a vinyl LP than it is to take the time to learn the trumpet, fiddle, or accordion. Or that music lessons are for children, not adults.
For me, the tradition part of traditional music is not about what instrument you play or what style you are emulating or where the tunes come from or how you go about learning them. It's not even always about performing or entertaining others. It's about participation and the act of creating music by doing it yourself. It's about getting together with others to play a common repertoire whether anyone is listening or not. Just being able to do this at some level, at any level...that to me is musical success.
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