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. . . . . . . . . . . . . .deviation from the norm

one of the things i've said before in interviews is: without deviation (from the norm), 'progress' is not possible...in order for one to deviate successfully, one has to have at least a passing acquaintance with whatever norm one expects to deviate from

when a musician comes into my band, he already knows sets of musical norms, the drummers know all the drumbeat norms (how to play disco, how to play a shuffle, how to play fatback etc etc), bass players know all the bass player norms (thumb pops, walking lines, 'traditional' ostinatos, etc etc)... those are today's radio music norms; part of the fun in preparing touring arrangements is nuking those norms

the place where one finds the least enthusiasm for norm-nuking is in the world of the symphony orchestra...if you hand an orchestral musician a piece of...