Minimal effort
brings maximal performance.
What a paradox!
(Why the haiku? TMQ)
Musicians are often regarded as being a pretty hard-working lot – a reputation that I’d say is probably well-deserved. We often start at a very young age, spend lots of alone time practicing while others are out doing more enjoyable things, and are pretty good about putting in our hours on a consistent basis. Hmm…now that I think of it, how is it that we can practice every single day, without fail, for years on end, but we can’t stick with a simple diet or exercise program beyond a few months?
Anyhow, to get back to my original train of thought, we spend tens of thousands of hours working really hard to reach ever higher levels of excellence. To play with greater accuracy and consistency, to develop a more compelling sound, greater control and dynamic range, expressivity and clarity of intent. All that good stuff.
But how much time do we spend trying to make playing easier? Working to see just how little effort we can expend?
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Recently, I was asked to write a guest post on a relatively new music site. As I did some browsing through the archives to learn more about the folks behind this venture, I found some noteworthy articles that I thought would be of interest to the readers of this blog. String-heavy emphasis, but still very relevant to all the non-string players out there, and all worth Instapaper-ing, if not Evernote-ing.
I’ve never done a post like this, but thought it might be nice to tap into the collective wisdom of others out in the music world. Ready? Alrightie, let’s give it a go…
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I never planned on going to Oberlin, but nevertheless, that’s where I found myself one day as a lost and somewhat bewildered freshperson (yep, “Obies” were fond of their PC language). Oberlin’s liberal crunchy granola-ness threw me for a loop, and I was really turned off by the idealism I found myself surrounded by. A whole campus of folks who thought they could actually change the world? Singlehandedly? Sheesh. The corny recruiting poster that seemed to be everywhere on campus was a frequent source of irritation (and for those who cannot make out the text in this photo, it says “Think one person can change the world? So do we.”).
In hindsight, I suppose I became an Obie because it’s what I needed most to learn. Now that poster doesn’t seem so corny. The idea that we can singlehandedly change the world seems almost self-evident. What caused such a turnaround?
I learned that talent is overrated as a predictor of success.
For much of my life, I operated under the naïve assumption that the cream always rises to the top, and if you were talented, you would be successful. But that’s not often the case. Think about the most successful people you know. Are they also the smartest, most gifted, most talented folks you know? Probably not.
So what can we take from that?
To me, it means that we are all far more capable of making a difference in the world and leaving a bigger footprint than we give ourselves credit for. But how?
Poet Nancy Willard once said, “Sometimes questions are more important than answers.” Well, if that’s the case let’s ask some questions, shall we?
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Have you ever heard the phrase “perception is reality?”
I read a book the other day in which the author described one such experience. During a ride on the subway, a man and his young children entered and sat down near him. The children were yelling, being rowdy, and disturbing the other passengers, while the man stared off into space, seemingly oblivious to their antics and rudeness. After he had seen enough, the author asked the man if he might do something to control his children’s behavior. The man looked at him, apologized, and explained that they had just come from the hospital where his wife had died about an hour ago, noting that he wasn’t sure how to deal with this and that the kids probably didn’t know how to handle it either.
Imagine you were this author. Can you imagine how quickly your feelings would have shifted from irritation to compassion?
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When was the last time you asked a complete stranger out on a date? Not just any stranger, but someone whom you thought was out of your league? What did it feel like to even consider the possibility of approaching this person and asking for their number?
If you’re like most, your heart would have been pumping like crazy, your blood pressure skyrocketing, sweat glands on overdrive, and your mind racing with fears of rejection or being embarrassed.
Did you go for it anyway? If you did, kudos to you, as it takes courage to put yourself out there like this.
Winning an audition, by being a compelling and inspiring performer requires that same courage. Performing music is a very personal act. When we walk out on stage, we are very much exposed. All eyes and ears are on us, we have only one chance to do what we’ve spent countless hours (days, weeks, months, even years!) preparing, and we lay out our artistic choices and emotions for everyone to see.
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