It's always been you teaching you - you are alone but this is not a handicap - it's freedom
You teaching you - that's what it's all about!
How do you learn? What is your incentive? Establish the groundwork for long-term success.
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I believe Paul McCartney could not transcribe his own music, and no one accused him of not being a good composer.
That's good to hear! I may use that as an example in the future!
I mention this example specifically because there is a strong mentality about music within learning culture that enforces the teaching of reading music in order to learn to play it. Whereas, this was never my motivation or incentive for learning or playing music.
Some people like the methodical way and want to learn in a machine repeating fashion - and to them this is how they want to do it because their incentive is to recreate things that have already been made as to them this is what makes a good musician.
So there are many perspectives - and within classical music culture and traditional music culture - there is often the notion not to deviate from what is written - so you must learn what is written and not change it or express yourself as the form that is written is set.
We must acknowledge that everyone is different in the way they learn and acknowledge that music of many different complexities has been born from many different methods - sheet music writing and reading is just one.
It is nice to have a method that people can settle on - but like a language written music in this way must be learned and then be repeated within the mind in order to have it as a useful natural function of the being. I know very little people that have developed this fluidity with written music. It seems a language that caters to those who love method and want to invest a huge amount of time with learning a language and not necessarily learning music. Some people introduced to music have been told that 'this is what real music is' and so either avoid music altogether because their minds are not geared towards this methodical language or put it to themselves that they must learn this language before they can call themselves a real musician or place it as a mental block before they can allow themselves to learn. Many attempt in parts to learn this language and then find this inability to function in this way (pushing this style of method of learning) then presupposes an idea that they are just not very good musicians because they can't learn this language. It can cause a person who might actually be very good and fluid with feel and have great dexterity to give up entirely due to having received the wrong notions for their particular learning style.
Then often individuals that might put in a lot of work with a particular method then might come out and say, 'this is music'.
This has been done in classical music culture a lot. And so we need to claim music back from both the complacency and entitlement of pop music culture and the restriction and compartmentalization of classical/traditional music culture.
In my view, the way back to a music of the heart is to renew a focus on feel and learning to feel music as a foundation before any language to explain it is learned.
I learned violin in school, and could only read music to make what some called music. I didn't enjoy it, but I endured for seven years only because I had a crush on Mr. Purga, my violin teacher.
We'll skip the part where I tried to learn a second time from a classical teacher who had me glued to a piece of paper before I could draw my bow across a string, and I did not enjoy it all over again.
Into the world of klezmer music I landed, where we learned everything by ear. No paper in between me and the music, which I now know is a kind of barrier for me. I learned that being able to play by ear is NOT something that some folks are just born being able to do, but that the skill takes every bit as much time to learn as does learning to play beethoven from a sheet of paper, as you describe in your video.
Now I am trying to get some chops going as a singer. Knowing how to read music has been enormously helpful in learning the structures of the tunes, and in getting exact with the notes. But when I get up in front of an audience, I go without a piece of paper to rely on, not even lyrics. Those times I have tried to keep the paper crutch on stage, I could not make music, not the kind I can make if I KNOW the piece. One has to have worked and worked to KNOW the piece, and this work shows in the final product.
as @tarazkp might say, the journey is what matters, and what makes the work transcendant.
I know violinists who can only play the piece they are paper-glued to at that moment. Once the recital or concert is over, the music they worked so hard on disappears, and in a month or so they can no longer even play it. Whereas, I can still play stuff I learned 30 years ago, not well mind you, but I do remember the tunes and can toss them off. Much like the songs we all learned, by ear, as kids and we still know.
Learning by ear is extremely important, and is rarely taught to our children these days, like many other useful skills. Might all be part of the great dumbing down, don't get me started on that.
Some good perspectives there - for certain different learning styles for different people that have different learning centres and senses activated more than others.
I suppose my bias is more in sympathy your comments - but I do mention the dominance of the classical/traditional written music world in this derogatory fashion for a reason - because it really does need to be put in its place.
It is valid, yes. It is wonderful for those whose minds work in this particular way - but it does not make them better or 'real musicians'.
The ear training method is very important, I agree. But I superimpose that with something which I also promote and commented on briefly towards the end - the 'feel' training method.
Find the music through feel. Imagine that only you and the instrument exists - there is no sight or seeing or images - there is only tone and darkness.
What tone do you feel?
Setting aside a part of practice that allows a kind of 'flow music' to flower from the being - or at least allows a fertile ground in which it can root and do so - is an important part of development and discovering the capacity of the mind to harness and channel the energies, elements and spiritual world around us.
I have a particular view on music which I discovered some Sufi sects promote - in that music is a spiritual discipline of its own order and requires no dogma outside of itself. The study of it and the complexities of tone and the immersion of the being within tone - far exceeds the requirements for a school of life.
hm. Lots to think about here. I feel this when I sing well, that there is just me and my body letting the music make itself, a lot like freewriting. Music is some kind of portal, I know that. I enter a different reality when I do it well. I think I might even make music so that I can go there. It's an intelligence that is not of this reality. Or a supra intelligence, that we are being systematically deprived from developing. With AI. auto tune and all the other technology out there to tinker with the product, I'll bet many of the artists now are not making the music entirely themselves. Maybe this is why I can only truly enjoy live music.
Thanks for taking the time to read and comment! It's wonderful to explore things in an 'inquiry of the mind' fashion - where we detach from the outcome and just flow with a shared intention/goal.
I can see humanity is craving authenticity and this may result in a technophobic minority coming to the fore. Let's wait and see what happens in this interesting world we've found ourselves in!
In the meantime, let's be ourselves and assist others to do the same in whatever shape/way/form that may be.
Kindest regards,
Monty
amen
I agree with you. I think the main goal has to be never stop learning, but it has to be with the things you need, it has to make you grow up in your own way!
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