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| Image by Flickr user: wadem |
The past 4 chapters of the “The Art of Possibility” started to remind me a little about Buddhism and a book called “The Power of Now”. Looking at the way things actually are instead of resisting everything around you is one of the characteristics of Buddhism and one thing that is discussed in “The Power of Now”. This is one of my major downfalls too. When something happens unexpectedly, I often get upset and become disappointed in my own little world. I have learned throughout the years to not focus on material things and these last 4 chapters are a great reminder of that. I like in chapter 7 how it explains negative emotions and not to bury them deep inside or cast them out, but rather realize that they are there. This is very powerful as you somehow step outside your self and see how you are acting. Being present to our emotions takes a lot of practice, but it gets us one step closer to being more optimistic.
“The Art of Possibility” has surprised me several times when music is mentioned, and how orchestra players play with intense passion. I admit that when I was younger I never thought that orchestra players could ever feel the passion of the music because they were always so stiff when following the conductor. In so many cases I saw people play in orchestras and symphonies and never once saw any passion in what they were doing. There were however various virtuosos that would come on stage and warmed the audience with pure passion for the music. I soon started to think about how passion in music, or anything else for that matter, can be transferred to another person. Is it how you look you when you play the instrument or how you act when working on something you love? I love asking these questions and I started to ask them again when I read about the quote that Stravinksy supposedly said about wanting to hear someone trying to play the passage instead of someone just playing it. When we enter into the unknown, we might fail or we might succeed, but there is something there that enables us to feel alive. This is what I feel when I play music. There is something about the guitar that really makes you feel when you bend the strings. Every bend becomes a part of the spirit and soul of the song. You can feel the tension in the string as you bend higher and higher, leaving way to passion.
“The Art of Possibility” has surprised me several times when music is mentioned, and how orchestra players play with intense passion. I admit that when I was younger I never thought that orchestra players could ever feel the passion of the music because they were always so stiff when following the conductor. In so many cases I saw people play in orchestras and symphonies and never once saw any passion in what they were doing. There were however various virtuosos that would come on stage and warmed the audience with pure passion for the music. I soon started to think about how passion in music, or anything else for that matter, can be transferred to another person. Is it how you look you when you play the instrument or how you act when working on something you love? I love asking these questions and I started to ask them again when I read about the quote that Stravinksy supposedly said about wanting to hear someone trying to play the passage instead of someone just playing it. When we enter into the unknown, we might fail or we might succeed, but there is something there that enables us to feel alive. This is what I feel when I play music. There is something about the guitar that really makes you feel when you bend the strings. Every bend becomes a part of the spirit and soul of the song. You can feel the tension in the string as you bend higher and higher, leaving way to passion.
“Possibilities” by Flickr user wadem used under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 license.
Website Address: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wadem/2268968968/
5 comments:
Josh,
I like the way that you were able to use your prior knowledge on Buddhism to make a real-life connection to our reading. I too have a hard time lightening up at times and just going with the flow. It is sometimes easier said than done when we can be all too consumed and caught up in the daily grind of life and forget what is important.
You made a great point about the way your guitar strings make you feel when you play your music. I too used to look at people in the orchestra as rigid and unemotional about the music they played, but then I had to take a music course for my education degree where we had to go to several different types of concerts to observe them for a grade. I watched a child prodigy play the piano with such grace and beauty. You could see the emotion in her movements over the keys on the piano. I also had the pleasure to observe a Seussville production full of color and emotion that even had the audience going. We always have these preconceived notions that until challenged we hold tightly to and sometimes even after they are challenged. This book is a great reminder to look inward at oneself and to lighten up. They couldn't have chosen a better name for it.
@ Josh
I know I still suffer from resisting things at first and not looking at the way things actually are. I really do believe that the longer we continue doing this habit, the longer it will take to get rid of, if it can truly ever be gotten rid of. Since birth, we are taught this specific way, to be resistant to things that do not fit in our narrow vision that most of the time we fail to step back and look at the issue from an outside perspective. This, I feel is one of the major downfalls of our species as a whole. The negative emotions talked about in Chapter 7 of the book can also be attributed to this resistance as well, as most of us still tend to hold those emotions, bottle them up inside, then release them when it gets to be too much. I do also agree with what you summed up with the orchestra players. It is better to have a person who doesn't know the piece well that will bring passion and drive in trying to play that piece versus the person who knows the piece by heart and can play it without really feeling it. To the player who already knows it, they would be just going through the motions missing out that passion and energy. This is really how we should push ourselves. Pushing those unknowns, taking that leap so we can bring that drive and passion back so it can indeed make us feel truly alive when doing it. Great post Josh!
Kris Newton
Josh,
I found your comments on Buddhism and their connections to the reading this week were very interesting. More specifically your thoughts from the reading on music and performing with passion made for some very interesting ideas. I connected in the same way with my experiences playing percussion in many situations. Having played with many talented musicians, the passion for music exists as long as you believe in your own performance but that passion seems to be augmented when you know the players around you are bringing their passion as well, the experience can be life altering.
Josh I have to tell you my favorite musicians to perform with have been guitar players that can’t read music and it because they play “the music” so well either as a solist or being in sync with a group. They generally learn tunes very fast and are ready to perform after 1-2 times thru a song. I have played with a few guitar players that can read music as well and that was awesome too. Jazz or Rock/pop, the favorite has been a guitar player over just about any instrument that “reads” their music. I have played in orchestras, jazz bands, jazz combos, brass choirs, choirs, concert bands, rock bands, piano trios, country bands, with vocalists, and even and Elvis impersonator band.
Passion in a classical musician is an interesting question when compared to your description of “when you bend the strings... to expose the spirit and the soul of the song.” Jazz trombonist Jiggs Wigham modified his trombone by physically shortening the tubing to be able to use “slide vibrato” in 1st position. Basically an equivalent of vibrato on an open string of a violin or guitar.
Is it the act of the bend to find the passion or knowing the soul of the song and searching for your own? (To play blues you must know some sorrow...) Stephan Grappelli the Jazz violinist who bent and twisted notes from a violin to play some amazing jazz on an instrument designed to play music centuries earlier. Then you have Arthur Rubenstein and his playing of Chopin. A poet performer playing the poet composer of the piano on an instrument that can’t bend pitch so much... technically. Some subtle and not so subtle classical illustrations of passionate composition is with the composers Butterworth and Respighi. The list can be limitless for both music devoid and rich with the soul of music.
I find though that movie music will hit more of the passion than most any other place. The top example I have is Robin William’s movie “What Dreams May Come.” I listen to that sound track and I wonder how did they get the musicians to release the music so freely. Was it the composition, was it the movie, was it the conductor?? I don’t know. When I hear a magical tune anywhere recorded I wonder how did they capture it. Did the producer act like a host in making the performers comfortable in the surroundings of the studio? Was there a friendship and trust that inspired music above the normal that luckily was caught on tape. And finally... How do you recreate that everytime?
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