Dear Arto, you know - I am playing for others, too, but why shouldn't it be me for whom I perform? It could also be me to whom I am "sending a message". Not so difficult as to "touch another one's hand" - there is a certain resistance which needs to be bettered to play for others as in your analogy "touch another one's hand". It depends on the personality if the resitance keeps you away from performing or not.
There are many people around who are playing marvelous but restrain from playing in public. There could be many reasons for that (fear of stage-freight, fear that the performance may not be appreciated or whatever). I can only speak for myself: I have heard many bad performances (not necessarily by lute players) which convinced me that even I could join the list of (public) performers. And a certain black humour: If I am spending so much time to learn a piece or program I think I should share the pain <grin>. But I do well respect if someone decides to use the music as a private entertainment. And even when playing in public it could be that you are playing for yourself - a good way to reduce stage-freight BTW. Best wishes Thomas Am Mit, 2004-06-02 um 22.25 schrieb Arto Wikla: > Dear musicians, > > I had a couple of beers with a (Finnish) lutenist, who only reads > this list, doesn't write. We were talking of music - of course ;-) > > To whom do you play, to whom do you perform? He tended to think he > plays to himself, mainly and basically only to himself. > > This is a very interesting question! To me "to play" is to send a > message to the audience. To me "playing to myself" would be as > being gentle to myself. As if I were touching gently to my left > hand by my right hand... You know the difference to touch anothers > hands? (BTW, I guess RT could find very rude analogies in his style?) > > But perhaps you could also think playing is as serving ice cream > to yourself? Pleasing only yourself? > > To me playing music, anyhow, is always performing! To me there > really is music only when there is a "sender" and "listener". > > And perhaps that is why I am so lazy in practising? ;-) > > How do you feel, do you "share gentleness" to others, or do you > "eat your own ice cream", when you play? > > Arto --
