Words From The Wise (2): Create or Steal?

                       

One of the biggest fallacies regarding one's desire to be original is denying oneself the knowledge of music. I've encountered many musicians, young and old, who've feared that learning the language of jazz would actually stifle them--or at least make them sound out of touch.

As the Teacher told the Student, you don't have to invent everything that you play, you only have to own it. Most scientific breakthroughs are based on the work of others. These theories and experiments are not pulled out of thin air.

If we define originality as sounding like no other, beginners are the most original players I've heard. The key is to play and create with the spirit of a small child, not the knowledge of one.

Words From The Wise (1): Mistake or Humanity?

We’ve all had that experience where we’ve listened back to ourselves on recordings and found it to be nothing but a cringe-fest. Like the Student in this story, it’s usually because we are only listening to ourselves, and not fully taking in the musical performance in its entirety.

Musical acceptance can be difficult, especially in a recording situation where what we play is on record forever; but it is possible. Playing what we wanted to play, the way we wanted to play it is not always the best thing for the music. As the Teacher told the Student, sometimes it's not our place to judge. We’re only there to deliver the message.

Even if we don't like the message at that moment in time, things could change. Over time,  our worse moments can become our most profound.