“To imitate someone is to insult them.” – Bill Evans
When I came across this quote, it seemed so one-sided to me that I had to respond. I try my best to look at both sides of a situation or opinion, but to me, this statement seems extremely reductive because of the fact that many musicians start out their musical careers imitating someone else.
As a matter of fact, I have always told people to learn what others have done before them (their melismas, phrasing, breathing techniques, etc.) as a tool for practice. Once you have become comfortable enough and know that melodic line or vocal lick like the back of your hand, then you can start to experiment with it, adding or taking away parts, or coming up with something entirely different so that it becomes your own. For this reason, imitation is a key step in the learning process.
I wouldn’t imitate vocalists or musicians (horn players’ horn lines are great practicing tools too)if I didn’t like or respect some aspect of their playing. If I truly think something sounds slick or interesting, I’ll want to figure it out and practice singing it until I can perform it all my own because I want that idea or performance aspect as part of my musical vocabulary. That idea will be in my subconscious for the rest of my life. How could that be insulting?
I can understand why some might see this as an insult though. Some musicians think that copying or imitating is lazy; that there is no effort or original thought in imitation. I would argue the contrary because many licks, phrases, or melodies that I’ve imitated during practice have been used as a springboard or starting point to create something entirely different. The more avenues the musicians are willing to utilize for creativity, the more potential for music that can be created. Imitation has the potential to spark creative thought, leading to something newer, different, or even, better than the original idea.