The essence of virtuosity
If you’ve followed this blog, you’d probably have guessed by now that I have a slight preoccupation with the subject of mastery.
As a guitarist, the differences between mastery and non-mastery are obvious.
If you know how to perform a technique, it’s easy, but if you don’t know how, it can be hard.
Like playing the tremolo. If you know how to go about it, it’s easy, but if you don’t, it can be very hard to do.
But I’m not interested in mastery just from the point of playing guitar.
To me, it’s a concept that’s relevant to everything we do.
As I’ve written before, even the simple act of uninstalling a lock requires a certain amount of mastery and can be hard to do if you don’t possess the necessary skill and knowledge.
In fact, it’s true of anything we do that requires skill and knowledge – driving, riding a bike, skateboarding etc.
To me, that’s the essence of virtuosity.
It’s not about the kind of showy technical displays that we often associate the word with, but about knowledge – knowledge at a physical level and knowledge of skills involved in the task.
When I first decided to use the term ‘virtuosity’ in my AOV title, I knew it would conjure up images of flamboyant musicians and flashy showmen.
I knew that some might be inclined to think that that’s what this book is all about, how to achieve a kind of showbiz virtuosity.
Well, I must confess, to a certain extent, they’re right.
That was part of my original plan, to write about developing the techniques and skills to become a flashy guitarist.
But I must say that although that was part of the plan, my real purpose have always been to write about virtuosity in all its different manifestations in our lives.
The real essence of virtuosity, not as a performance sport, but as a principle we can live by.