Diapason wrote:Don't get me wrong, I think I'm good at what I do! But as long as that amounts to slavishly learning the works of others without a single creative impulse of my own, I really can't and won't feel the complete player.
Having heard you play Simon I also think that you are being a bit harsh on yourself but I do understand where you are coming from. That element that you we talking about I think is inherently a creative and not just, but includes, technical ability.
To be is to do: Socrates
To do is to be: Sartre
Do be do be do: Sinatra
Diapason wrote:Don't get me wrong, I think I'm good at what I do! But as long as that amounts to slavishly learning the works of others without a single creative impulse of my own, I really can't and won't feel the complete player.
That's precisely the reason I gave up on learning the classical guitar repertoire. I was a slave to the sheet! It was a harsh lesson to be sure but it reinforced my strong belief in improv. Whether I made the right decision or not I'll never know. I'll say one thing I do admire anyone who has the guts to practice endless hours a day. And it's strange to think that with all that practice, the creative impulse diminishes. I think that's sad because it's a fantastic platform to go beyond the notes on the page......but you can't really do that in classical music nowadays as Fergus said earlier. Or is it to do with the fact that people expect strict adherence to the score as it was originally written? This really should be on a thread of it's own. Fascinating debate altogether!
One book on this subject I must read is Derek Bailey's Improvisation: Its Nature and Practice in Music. I'm a great admirer of Bailey's fearless approach to improvisation and this book has been recommended to me time and again.
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mcq wrote:One book on this subject I must read is Derek Bailey's Improvisation: Its Nature and Practice in Music. I'm a great admirer of Bailey's fearless approach to improvisation and this book has been recommended to me time and again.
Now that sounds very promising. Must check it out. Thanks for the heads up :)
cybot wrote:
Or is it to do with the fact that people expect strict adherence to the score as it was originally written?
I am not so sure about that. In every classical music concerto there is a cadenza which is there to display the performer's virtuosity (and I would argue, imagination) but how many modern performers perform their own cadenzas? Not too many and it is such a shame as there is a wonderful opportunity there to display any hidden talent that might not otherwise be seen or heard.
To be is to do: Socrates
To do is to be: Sartre
Do be do be do: Sinatra
