Musicality II

To continue on this subject of musicality, one thing I’ve noticed in my masterclasses is the tendency of students to focus too much on the notes, at the expense of the melodic line. This leads to the too-many-notes syndrome, where all you hear are just notes, and very little phrasing. This seems to be a recent phenomenon for I had not noticed it much before. Perhaps it reflects the technological times we live in, with all its emphasis on machine-like precision and digital perfection.

My main problem with this approach is not with its precision but rather with its complete disregard for the musical line. When you emphasize the notes, you destroy the flow of the line. This approach also misses a key essential point, a melodic line is not just a bunch of notes strung together. It is a gesture, it has meaning, it conveys a feeling, and it is this feeling that we have to articulate, not the notes themselves.

Going back to the analogy of language. When we speak, we do not try to enunciate every word with deliberate precision, instead we focus on the meaning of what we are saying. If we focus too much on individual words, we run the risk of sounding like automatons, like the machine-speak that computers are famous for. The point of speech is to convey meaning, not to demonstrate our technique in enunciating words.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not advocating an approach of sloppiness. On the contrary, I have always stressed the need to have good technique. To be able to convey meaning, we must be intelligible; we must have the means to articulate our words with enough clarity so people can understand what we are saying. Where I draw the line is when technique becomes a goal in itself rather than the means to serve it.

Here are a few suggestions on how to develop a more fluid approach to phrasing, one that is more about the phrase than about the notes.

Start by singing the passages you are playing. When you sing a melody, you will find it is almost impossible to sing it one note at a time, you will have to sing it as a phrase. Then try to play the line as you sing it. Let your guitar become an extension of your voice.

Deliberately deemphasize the notes, blend them together and connect them in a smooth seamless flow. Think linearly, emphasize the horizontal movement and avoid a metrical feel.

I like to attach adjectives to melodic lines and passages. A scale can be a passionate cry, a thunderous cascade, or a plaintive sigh, etc. When you attach meaning to a passage, you separate it from the underlying technique. You will find that this actually makes the passage easier to execute.

Ask yourself, what is the composer trying to do here? What is the melody trying to convey? Why is this scale here and what is it trying to convey? Become familiar with all the devices of composition. Understand the structure of the works you are playing. Be able to identify key elements—main themes, transitions, developments, etc. It is only by knowing the function of a passage that you will be able to better convey its meaning.

Even in relatively simple (from the structural standpoint) pieces such as La Catedral, there are clear structural things happening within the music that have to be articulated  in performance. Transitional passages must be played with less emphasis and main themes given more prominence. When you focus on the structural functions, you will be less inclined to highlight the individual notes and will focus more on how to give each part its appropriate structural identity and weight.

A final point: if machine clarity and perfection is all we need, there’s nothing that beats midi files. They are perfect in every sense of the word. Every note in a midi is the same as every other note. If you want to program a crescendo, it will do it with clinical precision. If you want it to go a million miles an hour, no problem, just move the tempo slider and it will do it with ease. But for some reason, few people actually listen to midi files for entertainment. Perhaps it is because they are missing a human element, perhaps it is too perfect for their needs.

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