---
title: "The Permutation Plus The Personality"

description: "Best way to get good at guitar? Learn some sax solos. Jazz has been doing this forever, but pop can copy their homework. Learn the lines from someone that thinks differently than you. Practice the way they approach music. And open your mind, man."

status: complete

date: 2026-01-27

kind: solo

guestSlugs: []

listenUrl: "https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lovemusicmore/episodes/The-Permutation-Plus-The-Personality-e3e4pbq"
appleUrl: "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-permutation-plus-the-personality/id1567355195?i=1000746821948&uo=4"
spotifyUrl: "https://open.spotify.com/episode/2lD9sjwX6WbYaSShnLMQqw"

topicsDiscussed:
  - "Collaboration"
  - "Creativity"
  - "Guitar"
  - "Piano, synth, and keys"
  - "Influence of saxophone"
  - "Instrumental perspectives"
  - "Cultural music exchanges"
  - "Articulation styles"
  - "Role of synthesizers"
  - "Arpeggios and their significance"
  - "Pop music simplicity vs complexity"

hostNote: |
  Musicians are just creative borrowers, the beauty is in the permutation plus the personality. That's the whole argument: what you borrow matters less than what you do with it once it's filtered through how you hear and play.
  
  I get into what it was like to approach guitar from a saxophone player's angle, not the notes, but the articulation. How hard you strike, where you breathe, the phrasing decisions that come naturally on a wind instrument and feel strange on a fretted one. I also talk about watching pianists and how observing the way they held their wrists actually changed how I play. You can't get that from a tab. It's a lot easier to grasp what somebody's doing when you're sitting right next to them.
  
  The episode is about why cross-instrument borrowing gives you moves your own tradition won't hand you, and why proximity to how someone else thinks is the most efficient shortcut I've found.

selectedMoments:
  - label: "Exploring Instrumental Diversity"
    startSec: 65
    note: "I discuss how different instruments can evoke distinct approaches to music."
  - label: "Learning from Others"
    startSec: 136
    note: "I share my experience of learning saxophone solos and how it transformed his musical perspective."
  - label: "Articulation and Genre"
    startSec: 546
    note: "I highlight how playing styles influence musical genres and personal expression."
  - label: "Permutations and Personality"
    startSec: 631
    note: "I define how creativity stems from the blend of influences and individual taste."
  - label: "Future of Musical Collaboration"
    startSec: 812
    note: "I emphasize the importance of live music and personal interactions in shaping musical learning."
  - label: "Cultural Influence on Musical Style"
    startSec: 271
    note: "I reflect on how cultural contexts can blend with personal style, enhancing creativity."

excerptQuotes:
  - text: "I wanted to talk about how I view the saxophone as a guitarist, and also how I view the bass and the synthesizer and the piano."
    startSec: 87
    reviewed: true
  - text: "The idea of how hard am I striking it, am I striking it? Soft, hard, soft, hard... those articulations can mirror other instruments."
    startSec: 183
    reviewed: true
  - text: "Musicians are just stealing or like creative borrowers... the beauty is in the permutation plus the personality."
    startSec: 635
    reviewed: true
  - text: "It's a lot easier to grasp what somebody's doing and how they approach the notes when you're sitting right next to them."
    startSec: 814
    reviewed: true
  - text: "Watching the ways that they would hold their wrists was a weird thing to say, but it really influenced the way that I play guitar."
    startSec: 276
    reviewed: true

faq:
  - question: "What can guitarists learn from saxophone playing?"
    answer: "Guitarists can gain new insights by studying saxophone playing techniques, enhancing their musical fluency."
  - question: "How do different instruments influence musical creativity?"
    answer: "Different instruments offer unique approaches to playing notes and rhythms, shaping one's overall musical style."
  - question: "What is the significance of cultural music in shaping genre?"
    answer: "Cultural music introduces distinct techniques and styles, allowing musicians to blend global influences into their work."

transcriptPublished: false

draft: false
---