The Way of the Artist

It has been a while since I have written a blog. It is certainly not for a lack of thinking. Many times, I have had great ideas (even while I am playing) and I've also had the common misfortune of not writing them down. However, they are not my ideas and they have been in existence since the dawn of humanity. I seek to tap into something of a higher ideal or consciousness. Perhaps something far removed from the ego and all of its hang-ups. As an engaged artist, I have had my fair share of critiques. Many times, it is easy to turn that hierarchy of judgement upon myself. A lot of "great" artists have talked about the importance of being a nice human being who has compassion and patience. More importantly, they tend to see this quality as an integral part of the "way". It is of the utmost importance that we are the most patient with ourselves, particularly when we practice.

I always communicate to my students that they must practice awareness, rather than just learning a piece of music. It takes tremendous focus to see the true happenings within each nanosecond of a note, measure, and phrase as they unfold. I believe a previous blog was about getting out of the way of "our" music. You see, it is not "our" music, rather, it is everyone's music. I also believe that the audience must be born from serendipity as much as it is formed through ticket sales. So, play pro bono once in a while so that you are not too comfortable in your marble palace. Truly, performing is a life of servitude and the musician must continually work on a removal of the self so that the music, which has existed and will continue to exist, will speak for itself. We are but conduits for this magical series of waves that transmits that which cannot be spoken.

I know that the higher up I climb the ladder of technical mastery, there will be the usual ego-based thoughts that want to make extra sure that I play every correct note, with the right articulation, and in perfect rhythm. Hmmm, let's just think about that for a moment...

Aren't we trying to achieve unconscious competence and a mind of no mind? If so, where does any of this busy chatter come into play? Our practice sessions ought to resemble meditation sessions, rather than labored efforts to reinforce the difficulties more loudly and far less clearly. Slow it all down so that you can truly see more detail and always begin from a quiet place. After all, we are preparing to align ourselves with the perfect pitch of musical harmony and artistic expression. When this is done correctly with our instruments, we create music that has a true and timeless voice-the voice of many. As a result, music brings people together and encourages them to see that we are more alike than different. What a concept!