Every student of music should read this!
A STORY ...
The curtain parts... We see a musician seated solemnly with a beautiful instrument… *silence spreads through the halls*.. Then suddenly, she plays a powerful piece of music flawlessly and effortlessly…. The music fills the air for a good while... and fades away… *Silence takes its place*. The hall reverberates with loud applause… *The musician bows & walks away*.. Curtain closes.
Everyone moves closer to the exit… Though there is one… He is stuck to his seat.. Still reliving the music he experienced. He is finally nudged to walk away. He thinks… I could take her place someday. I want to play like her… I want to feel awed and applauded. I think it’s time. I will join a school…
Everyone goes through a version of this story at some point of time. We artists call this as inspiration.
What we experienced was a professional delivering music with great command and control. The mistake we do, is underestimating this feat.
THE THREE ELEMENTS
So…
How DID she get so good?
She must’ve learnt from someone and started playing after few months right? NO…
A student of music becomes a seasoned musician after going through a series of cyclic intervals.
Excitement
Frustration
Enlightenment.
All the 3 elements of this cycle are equally necessary to see progress.
What varies is the scale of proficiency and the knowledge of what it takes to make it.
THE TEN QUALITIES
So what does it take?
Listening endlessly
Finding a reliable mentor & finding direction
Learning from multiple well directed sources
Practice - progress and pitfalls
Jamming with fellow students
Constant self-reflection - Keeping your ego in check
External examinations
Identifying constructive criticism and handling destructive.
Sharing with the world - Performances & Releases
Going back to learning after milestones
A student of music is pursuing a good direction when he or she starts exercising “The Ten Qualities”. During this process he or she experiences the onset of “The Three Elements” within these qualities. The tenure of musicianship and quality of music depends on these and only these factors. The moment a student translates these practices into a routine, he or she starts to strive for progress rather than results.
And that’s what we call as COMMITMENT!
Follow this space for detailed content on each of “The Ten Qualities”.
