The most important quality of art is the quality of aliveness.

What is this aliveness?

It’s its spirit.

When a work is imprisoned within the black and white symbols on a page, that spirit is locked in.

That’s why it’s important when you bring the music to life again under your fingers, that you breathe life back into those notes.

Make them sing, make them dance, and make them come alive.

Not with mathematical precision.

Not with rules about how it should sound.

Not with preconceptions on what is good or bad.

But with your spirit, your imagination.

But imagination that is grounded in knowledge—not academic knowledge but experiential knowledge.

So if you’re a blues player, immerse yourself in the blues, breathe it, sleep it, and make it part of your soul.

So that when you play, all that knowledge and experience will find expression naturally in your playing.

If you’re a Bach player, immerse yourself in his music.

Absorb it into every fiber of your body.

So that when you play his music, all that knowledge and experience will find expression within the beautiful complexity of his music.

Above all, remember that art without the quality of aliveness is dead.

 

—July 2, 2009

Posted on Monday, April 4th, 2022 at 12:25 am under creativity. Follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.