The Girl from Ipanema

Today, we're going to talk about change. 

Are you ready for it??? I don't know if change throws up green or red flags in your head.

Okay, here we go.

I talked in my last post about standing up rather than sitting down while listening to music. About a century ago, you wouldn't have a problem standing up, because jazz is unpopular.



You're probably wondering why I said that. You probably think of jazz music as the result of a revolution that occurred in the 20th century. But, it wasn't considered the hottest new music for all of that time. 

Although many great jazz musicians were at the peak of their careers in the 1960s, the music was only really "popular" in the 1920s and '30s. After that, jazz was for the few people who loved going out to listen at 10 PM (why did it have to be that time?).

Don't wait till 10 PM - listen to the song here


Why wasn't jazz popular then? Because things changed.

In the '20s and '30s, jazz was the music that people danced to. Dancing can be a big part of why we enjoy music. Do you think the best songs are the ones that leave you bouncing in your chair? You got it right.

Later in the 20th century, musicians focused more on seeing how complex they could make their harmonies, because the more these change, the harder it is to improvise. If you're playing a song where chords fly past like greased lightning, you can show off your skills with a crazy solo, but it's hard for people to dance to your song, or even keep track of its progress.


If your song is too complex, the audience doesn't enjoy the song because they can't follow it. But if your song is too simple, the performers don't enjoy the song because improvisation is no longer a challenge.

That brings us to a principle that applies whether we're making a blog post, writing a song, or giving a speech.

Whenever you're presenting something, the focus should be on the audience, not yourself.

If you put all the focus on yourself, you won't be able to effectively communicate with your audience, and the purpose of your being on stage is lost. It's important to find a balance between what your audience prefers and what you can deliver.

That's what I've been trying to do on Tea with Liya, while, as always, filling your teacup with music!

~Liya