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

The View From the Middle
 
Prominent Violists help Barry Green find an answers to :
The Mastery of Music
 
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.

It has been an honor to help develop Gallwey’s simple concepts for people in the performing arts. This has provided me a transformative opportunity to learn from not only bass players, but from violists, educators and performers of all instruments, voice, and all types of ensembles, including chamber and popular music.

Some 5 years ago I was sent looking for my own answer to a coaching challenge where 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.’ She was able to do virtually everything I asked. Even though she had superb concentration–no nerves -- something was missing. It wasn’t about the music, the command of her voice, or her focus, it was about HER. I thought to myself could it be she lacked courage, passion, creativity in her expression? I wanted to tell her she needed to live in this world more fully, develop her personal skills so that she has something more interesting to communicate as a musician. But that’s not really Inner Game is it? Can this stuff be taught? Should it be taught? This was the beginning of my four-year search, which has 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 lessons? I am emphatically and enthusiastically convinced that the answer is YES. Granted, we are not all going to play like Joshua Bell or Pinchas Zukerman. 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 Dave Brubeck, Frederica von Stade, Joshua Bell, Christopher Parkening, Jeffrey Kahane, Bobby McFerrin, Fred Hersch, Evelyn Glennie, Dale Clevinger, Cleo Laine, Doc Severinsen, Janos Starker, Gary Karr, Craig Jessop, and Gunther Schuller. Violist interviewed included: Nokuthula Ngwenyama, James Dunham, Alan DeVeritch, Danny Seidenberg, Randy Kelley, Cindy Phelps, Donald McGinnis, Paul Silverthorn Craig Mumm, and Nardo Poy.

TWO amazing stories unfolded from these interviews. The first thing I observed is that the pursuit of excellence is similar in any human endeavor or discipline. 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 DEDICATION, their sense of HUMOR, their TOLERANCE or ability to get along with others, their talent for COMMUNICATING and INSPIRING others, their HUMILITY, and their FOCUS, CONFIDENCE and COURAGE. Hmmm…interesting.

You spend your entire life chasing one kind of rainbow–learning an instrument, getting a degree, getting a job, being successful, cranking out CD’s, playing in string quartets, and engaging in performance after performance. 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 creativity and confidence. 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.
This endless journey of self-development was further affirmed when I interviewed the celebrated English composer Sir Peter Maxwell Davies. He told me that he doesn't really care if his music is played after he leaves this earth. He said: That’s not what I am doing it for. It is an ongoing process of self-refinement, fine honing. It is absolutely in tandem with the development of personality. I mean that in the real sense. Playing your own music…allows you to learn things about yourself. It never stops. It is an ongoing process.

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 Clevinger. 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. When you learn what fuels his spirit to overcome anxious moments, you may get goose bumps! This started the ball rolling down my path of discovery and exploration. It reminded me of Zen-like Inner Game principles. "The harder you try, the worse you get … Less is more and more is less."

Whatever you might think of these ten pathways, you will probably find that they are quite contrary to your current conceptions. The points of view were so different and engaging that I couldn't sleep after I got off the phone with musicians such as James Dunham, Libby Larsen, Robert Cohen, Peter Schickele, Nnenna Freelon, and Terry Riley.

And where does the viola fit into all this? Think about a wonderful quality of the human spirit you have developed and learned from spending years of playing in chamber groups and sitting in the orchestra. Have you noticed your tolerant perspective on music and life comes from being in the middle of a string quartet or orchestra? I was reminded violists spend a lot of time tolerating the ego’s of the violinists to your right, the cellists to your left and the conductors over your head. Voilists have the physical advantage of playing their instrument where they can hear the music from the middle and play their inner voice to make everyone around them sound better. I found violists to be humble and content with the spotlight being focused on others. Many violist I interviewed have learned to be the ultimate negotiators. They seem to posses the patience to endure the most difficult musical or working conditions. Violists are known to have a thick skin and not be bothered by the many jokes about their musical roles. I’ve even found several web sites dedicated to viola jokes and most come from the violists themselves! But this isn’t about the jokes. It’s about the unique human spirit violists bring to their instrument, their patient musicianship, their tolerance of their other instrumental colleagues and their collegial support of one another. These qualities can and should be emulated by ALL musicians. I hope to play a small part in sharing these humanitarian gifts to our musician and non-musician colleagues who want to reach higher levels of true artistry.

All musicians can learn from spending time in your musical roles and sitting in the middle. These are some of the gifts I learned from dedicating a chapter to exploring the concept of TOLERANCE from violists. And what I learned wasn’t what I expected. Let me give you a preview of this chapter.

First of all, I must ask your forgiveness. I paired violists with another group of professionals who you might not be inclined to invite for dinner. However, these people share an expertise as professionals for some of the same things you violiss do so well–thus being in the middle of everything. Guess who? Managers! That’s right–but the managers interviewed were also performing musicians and two of them former violists in New York Philharmonic’s Jeremy Geffen and Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Debora Borda. And fret not,I only talked to four people from ‘management’. . However these musician/managers also had some wonderful insights to exploring the concept of tolerance and being in the middle.

Wanna a glimps of what the violists are talking about. The concept of being in the musical ‘middle’ is eloquently explained by Alan DeVeritch, Craig Mumm James Dunham. Paybacks for playing viola and loving it are explained by Paul Silverthorn and Nardo Poy…they LOVE their musical roles–making others look good and Nardo Poy, violist with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra tells me he even gets excited about playing the repetitive off-beat accompaniments in Strauss waltzes. He says that playing pa-pa with panache, even without the oom, is really fun and stimulating. Hard to believe? When you hear great Viennese musicians playing their waltzes you know there is something different about their sound. And when you apply this sensitive approach to playing what might seem a boring part at first glance -- a sort of concentrated zen glee in the task at hand -- it can be incredible. When Nardo plays these off beats with style at the Metropolitan Opera, he brings the innards of the music alive.

I don’t care if it's not the melody… it is still great stuff! When you look beyond the part, you go to the music as a whole…
Managers and violists discuss being on a ‘hot seat’ and how they cope with it–the jokes, the confrontations, and Cecil Cole (bassist/manager) an African American raised in the south learned tolerance from his family upbringing and also being a hotel desk clerk. James Dunham father worked for the State Department as a US diplomat and explained how he uses his father’s negotiation techniques when he is leading a viola section. Cynthia Phelps learned tolerance from having five siblings and being a sister, mother, spouse. She translates this to leading a section. Alan DeVeritch learned of positive attitude from his mentor William Primrose. His story is gripping.

Exploring techniques of tolerance has to do with how violist have handled confrontations. Randall Kelley talks about flexibility with his maestro. The feisty Nokuthula Ngwenyama recalls rehearsing the Brahms Quartet, where the other strings are supposed to be muted and the viola isn't. On this occasion, the cellist she was playing with felt strongly that she should be playing with a mute. She explained that Brahms' score didn't call for a mute for the viola. The cellist replied heatedly, That's bullshit! — so Nokuthula said Look, if you care that much about me using a mute, I’ll use a mute. It isn’t worth it to defend my ground and get nasty with him at rehearsal. And in the concert, if the issue is important enough to me, I can do what I want anyway. I like to be totally unthreatening on the outside, but I also know that on the inside I can kick his butt if I need to.

I own much gratitude to my viola colleagues for their insights. But we can learn as much from our other colleagues about the human spirit when we explore the remaining nine pathways. For example, when I researched what happens when two performing artists COMMUNICATE and are allowed to merge into one musical entity, the celebrated Beaux Arts Trio pianist Menahem Pressler explained that there is a unique non-verbal principle that soloists, chamber musicians, and conductors use to attune to one another. It isn’t about one person following the other, it is more a matter of two artists responding to the music that resides within each of them. I call this ‘The Silent Rhythm’.

At first I thought DISCIPLINE was about playing fast and accurately, but world famous clarinetist Eddie Daniels convinced me that you can learn more about playing fast from experiencing he feeling of playing just one note. I call this chapter ‘The Way of the Will.’
PASSION is a chapter about love and emotion. The great cellist Pablo Casals once said that passion comes from what we learn from love -- love of nature, of music, of man.

The chapter on CONFIDENCE is full of helpful techniques passed along by my jazz and classical trumpet colleagues. I learned something fascinating from Doc Severinsen. He explained to me that there are TWO kinds of confidence. The first kind is based on innocence or bravura. Real confidence is the confidence that's earned by good preparation.

Who would think that having FUN is one of the pathways to productivity? We explore the humor of Peter Schickele and P.D.Q. Bach, and bassist Gary Karr, who describes a rich strand of musical showmanship that extends back to the time of Paganini.

When it comes to CONCENTRATION, our solo instrumentalists for the violin, piano, guitar and harp are the experts. Violinist Joshua Bell told me that he sometimes finds himself feeling nervous during the big orchestral introduction when he plays the Beethoven violin concerto, but then he moves into a state of serene concentration just as he is about to play.
Then we explore EGO and HUMILITY. Finding humility amongst singers may seem like looking for a needle in a haystack, but there is another side to this story. Soul singer superstar Nnenna Freelon shatters our concept of fame when she discusses self-esteem with inner city youth. Her interview inspired the chapter title: From Fame to Artistry. CREATIVITY is the last of our ten pathways. Responding to the voice within can truly be a journey into an artist's soul. Both composers and improvisational artists live in a world of constant discovery, where they listen for their inner direction and follow the insights it provides.

In the Finale (dedicated to INSPIRATION) we explore mentors, adversity, competition and music as a forum in which to experience our growth as a human being. Inspiration is the engine that keeps us moving along the ten pathways, and drives us towards our continuing mastery of music.

Our journey, then, is to take a fresh look at these ten pathways to excellence, which can be found in the human spirit, and which I feel passionately can contribute to the mastery of music. This list begins with the ten pathways I have named, but it will continue through your own discovery of even more pathways to artistry. A true exploration of The Mastery of Music reveals that there is much more to learn than what appears on the surface. 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 late great master violinist Isaac Stern, in Life’s Virtuoso, the documentary about him in the American Masters Series, said:

Composers wrote the words and the notes. You have to make your own individual sound, but you have to understand-- and the understanding doesn’t come out of here [pointing to his head] but out of here [point to his heart]. If you really know music as a professional musician, then you spend your entire life learning that you can not learn everything. Then you learn a respect for learning for others with whom to exchange these ideas.

Violist have much to share not only about tolerance but other qualities of the human spirit. I’m grateful to have been able to exchange ideas with you and your colleagues. And we can learn as much from others who have mastered concepts of our ‘humanity and soul’ by exploring the remaining pathways with distinguished colleagues in music. This is the pathway to true artistry I invite you to travel.

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. There are three disciplines that we all need to master: technique, concentration, and the spirit of the soul. We have made some major strides mastering the first two. Our music schools have done a great job in teaching us how to master our instrument (or voice). Inner Game principles and other similar disciplines have been helpful in assisting us to master our concentration. The third Mastery, however, is the one I invite you to begin with on this new journey. This has to do with who you are as a unique human being. 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 will also make us better musicians. This is my promise to you.

The way to engage in this final level of mastery is to stay on the path and to keep searching, because searching for growth and knowledge to develop our inner self is the very same pathway that is taken by many great musicians. The answer lies 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. It is not exclusive to the artists whom we admire, so it is the one thing we have that makes us all equal. We all have the capacity to grow and to learn from music, people, and life. We know that this is one of the great reasons to be alive.