Articles on
The Matery Of Music
Ten
Pathways to True Artistry
The View From the
Middle
The Power of Love
Choosing the High Road
From Bravura
to Integrity
From Good To Great
The Way of the Will
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From Good to Great
The Mastery of Music, Ten Pathways to True Artistry
It has
been over twenty years since the publication of The Inner
Game of Music. The Inner Game concepts were born out
of W. Timothy Gallwey’s search for the answer to why
he lost a match point at a National Junior Tennis Championship.
Since then the Inner Game has become a standard text for
understanding the nature of mental interference in the varied
arenas of sports, arts, and, more recently, business.
Using Timothy Gallwey’s simple Inner Game techniques
of concentration for musicians in the performing arts has
been a great experience. This has provided me a transforming
opportunity to learn from not only bass players but educators
and performers of all instruments, voice, of all types of
music .
Several years ago I was sent looking for my own answer
to a coaching challenge when my Inner Game techniques
fell short.
I was truly ‘stumped’ during an Inner Game demonstration
with a singer. Like Gallwey missed shot, I left this workshop
looking for something ‘beyond.’ The singer demonstrated
all that I could ask for. She sang in tune and her technique
and diction were excellent. Furthermore, she knew the ‘Inner
Game techniques.’ Even though she had superb concentration—no
nerves -- something was missing. She was good but she lacked
excellence, brilliance or greatness. But the difference
between these levels wasn’t about the music, the command
of her voice, or her focus, it was about HER. I thought to
myself, “What makes some artist really outstanding
and others just kinda ‘bla’? Could it be
that they lacked courage, passion, or creativity in their
expression?” I wanted to tell this singer she
needed to live in this world more fully, and to develop her
personal life skills so that she has something more interesting
to communicate as a musician. But was it my place to tell
her this? Is this music instruction? Can this stuff be taught?
Should it be taught? This was the beginning of my four-year
search, which resulted in what I believe to be a most important
gold mine of knowledge. I am now excited to share it in my
new book, called THE MASTERY OF MUSIC, Ten Pathways to True
Artistry (publication May '03).
My search was for excellence or perhaps what you might
call ‘true
mastery.’ What is the difference between the good,
the young talent, the competent, and the truly great? Is
it something that can be learned by everyone and even taught
in our schools or private lessons? I am emphatically and
enthusiastically convinced that the answer is YES. Granted,
we are not all going to play like Edgar Meyer, Stanley Clark
or John Pattituci. But we can learn from the pathways
that so many great artists have taken and we can develop
ourselves in ways that I had not previously thought possible.
Over the past four years I have interviewed over 120 great
classical and popular artists, including Christian McBride,
Gary Karr, Bobby McFerrin, Paul McCandless, David Balakrishna,
Cleo Laine, Kevan Mahogany, Clark Terry, Fred Hersch, Nnenna
Freelon, Dave Brubeck, Joshua Bell, Christopher Parkening,
Evelyn Glennie and Doc Severinsen,
TWO amazing stories unfolded from these interviews. The first
thing I observed is that the pursuit of excellence is similar
in any human endeavor. Once the question of ‘what was
missing’ in the singer was on my mind, I began to notice
clues from reading the newspaper and watching the news. A
new CEO was hired to rescue a failed computer company. An
All-Star baseball player mysteriously died in the prime of
his career. A symphony's Executive Director retired and was
given a gala farewell. These people were all hired and immortalized
or honored, NOT for their accomplishments, but rather for
their unique demonstration of the human spirit. They were
being extolled for their visions, their PASSION for life
and work, their COURAGEOUS pursuit of excellence in the face
of difficult obstacles, their sense of HUMOR, their TOLERANCE
or ability to get along with others, their talent for COMMUNICATING
and INSPIRING others, their HUMILITY, their FOCUS and CONFIDENCE.
Interesting. You spend your entire life chasing one kind
of rainbow—learning an instrument, getting a degree,
getting a job, being successful, playing in a band, getting
a recording or touring contract, and getting gig after gig.
And yet when it is all over and done, you are remembered
more for your smile, your ability to get people to work together,
your ability to communicate with your audience, your creativity
and courage. Once again: Hmmm.
Think about this for a moment. Are we missing something in
our musical training? Are we neglecting to give our students
and ourselves the very skills that are truly necessary in
order to achieve excellence and respect, and to make a lasting
contribution on Earth? Is it possible that just mastering
our instruments and our Zen-like states of concentration
isn't ALL that is necessary to negotiate some very important
things in our life and work? Recognizing this ‘missing
link’ was the first inspiration that sent me exploring
this fascinating landscape of excellence and artistry. It
sent me down a new pathway, filled with questions and curiosity. I
then came up with ten ‘Pathways’ that I felt
would begin the journey. Soon I realized that the real message
of this journey is endless and it doesn’t really stop
at these ten qualities. It only begins with ten. There is
the expression, “The Joy is in the Journey.” This
works for me.
The second part of the discovery-journey occurs when we
begin to explore these ten qualities of the human spirit
as a source
or ‘key’ to excellence. Then the best part is
yet to come. One of my first interviews was Chicago Symphony
Principal horn, Dale Clevenger. I had been exploring COURAGE
with musicians whom I felt embodied and specialized in this
quality in their work: namely percussionists and horn players.
I had my agenda, my points to prove, and my own theories
of courage. But Dale told me something different. Observing
those treacherous horn solos from my place leading the bass
section made me thankful for my little Mahler First solos.
But what appeared to be courageous to me, I found was really
nothing but joy and love from some horn soloists. While I
also found other horn colleagues who have well thought-out
theories that make it easier for all musicians to process
their greatest fears. But behind each of these ten ‘pathways’ a
unique almost spiritual principle was in effect. Clevenger
explained that courage is really more about ‘choosing
the high road’ than overcoming fear. Imagine a musician
confronted with a seemingly freightening task only has to
remind themselves to make a quick choice. Knowing in advance
what you want to do can allow you to take the ‘high
road’ and the issue of ‘courage’ becomes
a non-issue.
While Courage is one of ten pathways to true artistry,
each pathway leads us down a rather unpredictable course
to new
discoveries and insights. This is the revealing story
of each of the ten journeys. The points of view were so different
and engaging that I couldn't sleep after I got off the phone
with musicians such as trumpeter Doc Severinsen (CONFIDENCE,
From Bravura to Integrity), soloists Joshua Bell and Christopher
Parkening (CONCENTRACTION, The Sacred Space of the Zone),
Bobby McFerrin (COMMUNICATION, The Silent Rhythm) composer/improvisers:
Ralph Towner, Christian McBride, Fred Hersch (CREATIVITY,
The Journey into the Soul), humorist Peter Schickele and
Gary Karr (FUN, The Joy in Music), soul singer Nnenna Freelon
(HUMILITY and EGO, From Fame to Artistry), David Darling
(PASSION, The Power of Love), and more. We explored
ten pathways to artistry from the human spirit. This was
my journey.
From Good to Great
Our journey, then, is to take a fresh look at these ten pathways
to artistry, which can be found in the human spirit, and
which I feel passionately can contribute to the difference
between a good and a great musician. These qualities of who
we are as human beings transcend what we do as musicians.
At the same time they are inexplicitly linked. I believe
if you have something unique to offer as an artist your success
can be traced to highly developed qualities of your SOUL.
The ten pathways I have explored include courage, communication,
confidence, concentration, humility and ego, discipline,
joy, tolerance, passion and creativity. But I encourage you
to continue through your own discovery of even more pathways
to greatness. The process itself is endless, but within this
journey lies all the marvels of discovery, spontaneity, guidance,
and wisdom. What is most important is that we take up the
challenge and grow and develop these qualities in our lives.
The Chicago Symphony horn
principal Dale Clevenger expressed his own love and dedication in such inspiring
words
that I would like to end this article with these remarks
of his:
What happens in music is that composers are given the talent
to write music, and we performers are given the talent
to recreate it. When we do this, we make people happy! So
you see, while I happen to get paid for what I'm doing, I
also love it.
I had open-heart surgery for a heart murmur not so long
ago. When
it was all over, I tearfully thanked my surgeon for discovering
I had a heart murmur in the first place, and then for saving
my life. I hug and kiss the man every time I see him. And
one time this same doctor whom I respect so much said to
me, "Dale, we physicians deal with muscle tissue and
bones... but what you do effects our souls."
I don't think of what I do as particularly courageous – but
I do believe that what we do is deeply important: we affect
the souls of those our music touches. To me, playing
music is a very high calling: it is a responsibility, and
a sacred trust. Making music may sometimes be difficult
and sometimes fun -- but for me, at least, it is first, last
and always an honor and a joy.
I have just returned from this four-year journey in search
of an answer to the ‘missing link’ of this puzzling
Inner Game demonstration with the singer. This has to do
with who you are as a unique human being that is responsible
for the difference between a good and a great musician. We
don’t have to master all ten pathways, but we can begin
to find those qualities within our soul that can be enriched
and nourished, which have a way of manifesting in everything
we do – as musicians AND as people. These unique and
highly-developed qualities that make up our human spirit
are some of the same tools that bridge the difference between
the good and the great. These tools lie within the spirit
and the soul. It is a pathway not frequently traveled
as a means to artistry, but it is something we can all learn
and something we do to develop our uniqueness. We all have
the capacity to grow and to learn from music, people, and
life. What we do as musicians and who we are as people are
more closely linked than we realize. The pursuit of excellence
in music and excellence in life can be the same journey into
the soul of our human spirit. Let us embark on this journey
to pathways of true artistry.
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