Monday, November 17, 2014

I Work at it Because it is Hard, Not Because it's Easy

As I continually point out, counting is over-rated.  It is set up as the first requirement of good musicianship and all children are expected to do it and listen at the same time.  Because I could not do so I have been fascinated all my life with the relationship between tone and time on all its levels. 

I would have been eliminated in any competition for piano skill - thankfully such things did not exist in the culture in which I grew up.  As it was, I eliminated myself from that kind of running, opting instead to work at the instrument, at the music, at my problems on my own.  Would I succeed?  Who could say? And succeed at what, precisely?

Along the way I was fortunate to have mentors who did not interfere with my working style and did not impose simplistic solutions where there are none.

Insisting on the steady beat is a cop-out.  It only turns people off.  It turns everyone off Classical music.  Ask around....