[NSP] Mistakes in public perfomance
All music, because it is art, is a gift. The generosity with which the gift is given and received is often more important than the technical skill through which it is given. Some of the most moving performances I've had the pleasure of experiencing have been from artists who will never adorn their living rooms with trophies or be acknowledged in the pages of society journals. Likewise, a technically perfect performance can occaissionally feel selfish and shallow. These comments are general and apply to music in general. Music lives in the moment, and to languish over a poor performance, my own or anyone else's, or otherwise to puff up over a successful outing, these reactions both miss the point. Just about any performance, private or public, can be turned into torture by negativity. A positive attitude will make any opportunity to play or listen a much more enjoyable and rewarding experience for everyone. To paraphrase Miles Davis (I think): don't worry about mistakes...there are none. John -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[NSP] Re: Mistakes in public perfomance
Back to those comments of Tom Clough's that resurfaced in the great choyting debate. "I could sit hours and hear the worst piper that ever played, if there is such a thing as a poor Northumbrian small piper. Imagination has always played a big part in my playing and listening, and it's wonderful what can be gleaned from any sort of a piper. It's not really what he does, but what he tries to do; and that little bit of something adds further to your stock of knowledge if you can manage what he tried to do. That proves to me that there's not a piping failure, when the piper is doing his best, as the listener may be quick to pick up what the piper just misses. That´s been a life long practice, and I've learned clever things that way from what a lot have termed mediocrity, but not when it is polished up and finished properly." and "the true art of piping is to create music..It stands to reason that if two performers of equal ability play, but one instrument is much more musical than the other, then there is only one just cause, as it is musical effect that will always determine". Musical feeling is as important as technique. John -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: 30 September 2008 17:11 To: nsp@cs.dartmouth.edu Subject: [NSP] Mistakes in public perfomance All music, because it is art, is a gift. The generosity with which the gift is given and received is often more important than the technical skill through which it is given. Some of the most moving performances I've had the pleasure of experiencing have been from artists who will never adorn their living rooms with trophies or be acknowledged in the pages of society journals. Likewise, a technically perfect performance can occaissionally feel selfish and shallow. These comments are general and apply to music in general. Music lives in the moment, and to languish over a poor performance, my own or anyone else's, or otherwise to puff up over a successful outing, these reactions both miss the point. Just about any performance, private or public, can be turned into torture by negativity. A positive attitude will make any opportunity to play or listen a much more enjoyable and rewarding experience for everyone. To paraphrase Miles Davis (I think): don't worry about mistakes...there are none. John -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[NSP] Re: Mistakes in public perfomance
LOVELY comment John. Thanks. I needed that encouragement.I found the choyting debate hard going. Helen All music, because it is art, is a gift. The generosity with which the gift is given and received is often more important than the technical skill through which it is given. To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[NSP] Re: Mistakes in public perfomance
I have to agree with Helen. John's is the only recent e-mail that has struck a chord with me too! Sarah In a message dated 30/09/2008 20:24:55 GMT Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: LOVELY comment John. Thanks. I needed that encouragement.I found the choyting debate hard going. Helen > All music, because it is art, is a gift. The generosity with which the > gift is given and received is often more important than the technical > skill through which it is given. To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html --
[NSP] John's Miles Davis Quote
Hi All, Just to add another couple of comments from a jazz musician friend of mine, which build nicely on John's Miles Davis quote: 'You are never more than a semitone away from the right note.' and, 'There is no such thing as wrong notes, just poor choices.' These two statements have given me comfort many times on stage as I have scrabbled around the fretboard, or attempted to uncover the holes in the right order (with, of course, brief closure in between). All the best, Paul __ Win -L-3000 to spend on whatever you want at Uni! [1]Click here to WIN! -- References 1. http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/111354032/direct/01/ To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
[NSP] Re: John's Miles Davis Quote
Yeah but we're not talking about jazz here. Stepping into uncharted (for me) waters, jazz improvisation is all about working within chord structures, whereas Northumbrian piping has more to do with melodic sequences, using a drone rather than a chord sequence as the anchor, so mistakes are more noticeable. Mistakes? We all make them - well at least I do! It's a risk of trying to put spontaneity into performance. Informal recordings of Billy Pigg were full of (somewhat consistent) mistakes yet teach us a lot about using vibrato, subtle pressure changes, and expression. As for choyting etc, it's the gold standard to learn to play without it, then choose to include it later if you wish to. I'm not aware of anyone who's succeeded the other way round. Tom Clough IV was of the opinion that choyters were those who were unable to master closed fingering - I'm inclined to agree! That's not to say it's banned, but rather that there are more effective ways of showing the superlatives of Northumberland small pipes. Chris -Original Message- From: Paul Rhodes [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: 30 September 2008 22:01 To: Dartmouth NSP Subject: [NSP] John's Miles Davis Quote Hi All, Just to add another couple of comments from a jazz musician friend of mine, which build nicely on John's Miles Davis quote: 'You are never more than a semitone away from the right note.' and, 'There is no such thing as wrong notes, just poor choices.' These two statements have given me comfort many times on stage as I have scrabbled around the fretboard, or attempted to uncover the holes in the right order (with, of course, brief closure in between). All the best, Paul __ Win -L-3000 to spend on whatever you want at Uni! [1]Click here to WIN! -- References 1. http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/111354032/direct/01/ To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
