Spirit
Attitude is Everything - Hal Galper
Anybody can play. The note is only 20 percent.
The attitude of the player who plays it is 80 percent. - Miles Davis
Anybody can play. The note is only 20 percent.
The attitude of the player who plays it is 80 percent. - Miles Davis
You can choose to play these exercises intellectually and you will derive some value from them. For greater value, play these exercises with spirit and passion. Play them as if you’re dancing the rhythms. Strive to put your being and soul into all of them, even the exercises with many quarter note rhythms.
There is a saying, “you are what you eat.” Likewise, you perform what and how you practice. Don’t wait until you’ve mastered the technical aspects of the music you are working on to play from your heart. Otherwise, you are playing from your head and not your heart. Articulation, phrasing, and dynamics all play a role in your playing, but it’s how you internally hear music that will determine how your music is received. Always try and tell a story when you play. And always play music the way you enjoy hearing music.
I used to play many business functions and wedding gigs. I did not enjoy playing line dance tunes or certain pop tunes that I didn’t find challenging or interesting. I was fortunate to join a band where the leader was an extraordinarily gifted jazz player. Once, I remember someone requesting that he have the band play a tune I found boring. Surprisingly, at least to me at that time, the band leader played this tune with just as much intent and passion as he would have played a sophisticated jazz tune. I readjusted my attitude and made it my goal to play everything, even an exercise, with as much joy and intention as possible. Duke Ellington was asked what his favorite song was? He replied, “Whatever tune I’m playing while I’m playing it.”
There is a saying, “you are what you eat.” Likewise, you perform what and how you practice. Don’t wait until you’ve mastered the technical aspects of the music you are working on to play from your heart. Otherwise, you are playing from your head and not your heart. Articulation, phrasing, and dynamics all play a role in your playing, but it’s how you internally hear music that will determine how your music is received. Always try and tell a story when you play. And always play music the way you enjoy hearing music.
I used to play many business functions and wedding gigs. I did not enjoy playing line dance tunes or certain pop tunes that I didn’t find challenging or interesting. I was fortunate to join a band where the leader was an extraordinarily gifted jazz player. Once, I remember someone requesting that he have the band play a tune I found boring. Surprisingly, at least to me at that time, the band leader played this tune with just as much intent and passion as he would have played a sophisticated jazz tune. I readjusted my attitude and made it my goal to play everything, even an exercise, with as much joy and intention as possible. Duke Ellington was asked what his favorite song was? He replied, “Whatever tune I’m playing while I’m playing it.”