“Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.” Thomas Edison
Blood, sweat and tears and all that invested energy are supposed to produce extraordinary results.
We marvel at geniuses in musical, literary, artistic and scientific fields wondering about the ingredients of their individual journeys. How much was hard work, the rest divinely inspired? What about “mood?” Did they have an innate feel for capturing a panoply of emotions and effects universal to mankind?
How about applying this discussion to piano study. Does a player need a touch of inspiration to charge him up to practice? Should he rely on it as the core of a work session or should he wait until he is onstage at a student recital, praying that some form of inspiration will touch him in lieu of the daily practicing that was absent along the way?
Today, upon my return trip from the Bay area, I sat scrunched in the last single seat of Amtrak San Joaquin 712, scribbling my related thoughts on a napkin secured from the dining car.
I had planned to copy them, verbatim for this blog because a parent had “inspired” me to write about the subject.
So after the train progressed to the Stockton station, I had enough material on one napkin divided into three parts to post at WordPress.
My ideas:
First, when selecting a piece of music for a student, I think it’s essential that the teacher gets him/her charged up to the newest learning experience, igniting an enthusiasm springing from a basic love for the composition. That love will quickly filter down to a receptive pupil.
But falling in love and being inspired may not carry the weight of work that’s needed for a new piece to grow and fully blossom. In truth it’s the daily, baby step, patient practicing that holds the best chance for an inspiring performance to evolve over time.
If you attend a recital where five pianists from a particular teaching studio play the same piece, maybe one particular performance will grab the audience and draw listeners into a sacred space where time is suspended and music has an all-encompassing hypnotic effect. On stage, the pianist is not struggling with the technical side of execution; he is floating on a cloud above it, at ONE with the music, producing a continuous, uninterrupted flow of tone and nuanced playing. His “peak” experience is shared with an awe-inspired audience.
Flashback to the piano practicing workplace:
The student has begun the artistic process with a sense of commitment, patience and discipline. As Edison said rightfully said, Genius is more hard work than anything else. But in my mind, it doesn’t have to be a blood, sweat and tears journey. To the contrary:
The message to the student as communicated by the teacher should be,
1) Practice your new music slowly and thoughtfully, as a joyful experience.
2) Shape phrases and feel the depth of your physical involvement with the piano. Above all cultivate the idea of RELAXATION and weight transfer, being attuned to producing a beautiful singing tone. BREATHE deeply and effortlessly through your music.
3)Invest your whole body in the playing experience not cutting off energy as it flows down your arms, elbows, wrists into your fingers. Keep your wrists spongy and supple.
4) Patiently study fingerings knowing that laying down good choices impacts the growth and development of your piece to where you will feel “inspired” playing it with all you had planned, but going one step further in the process, surrendering to your spiritual side, that elevates you to a supremely higher level of ecstasy.
In conclusion, while inspiration may be the springboard for enthusiasm to learn, it must be followed up with thoughtful, step-wise practicing that is ear attentive and aware of the body/mind connection. An examination of form and architecture with the assistance of a teacher, will also mind expand, and open up a universe of musical understanding that can deepen the playing experience.
My final paragraph scrawled on a paper napkin that came with my vegetarian burrito read:
“Inspiration springs from dedicated, introspective practicing. It is in full bloom when the notes on a page of music swirl about the player as fluid forms in a poetry of motion.”
“Inspiration springs from dedicated, introspective practicing. It is in full bloom when the notes on a page of music swirl about the player as fluid forms in a poetry of motion.”
This is beautifully said, and Very True.