Stefon Harris Clinic: Do you know your Major Scale?
There is no way for me to capture the impact of Stefon Harris’ improvisation clinic in a brief blog. The information he presented was insightful, especially for the non-improviser, and very easy to understand and implement. The first question he presented was at the beginning of the clinic was, “Do you know your major scale?” As an audience of professional percussionists, we were intrigued, as were all pretty sure we knew our major scales. However, Stefon proceeded to prove to us that we did not know them as intimately as we should. (more…)
Lately I have kept coming back to one particular thought about percussionists… Why don’t people know more about the music they are playing? As in, there have been so many instances where I’ve seen a person play a piece without knowing anything about the composer or how the piece was conceived. Maybe this is an issue with other instrumentalists too, but I wouldn’t really know it. All I know is that we, as percussionists, are trying to gain legitimacy and defeat the perpetual label of “just drummers,” and we can’t even say three words about who wrote the marimba piece we’re working on… even if the composer happened to win a Pulitzer Prize or is one of the leading performers and pedagogues in our field. (more…)
What is the purpose for developing extended, specialized techniques? In this episode we focus on four-mallet rolling utilizing the Stevens Grip, and explore how 4 different roll types can be used together to fool our listeners! (into thinking we are sustaining a note…)
Share with us how you apply extended techniques to musical expression in your own playing. Leave your comments below.
Having a passion for pedagogy has taught me a lot over the years. One important idea that I’ve developed along the way has to do with perspective. I’ve found that a student can learn more quickly by focusing on general perspectives or guiding principles. These general ideas work to enable the student to apply and connect specific techniques to the aesthetics of musicality (phrasing/interpretation). Each post in this series will focus on a different “guiding principle”, a general concept or idea that can point artists in the right direction.
Guiding Principle #2: It’s Good for us to be Selfish.
Guiding Principle #1 focused on identifying and acknowledging the war going on inside of you between your “true self” and your “ego”. Spending time only with your “ego” results ultimately in misery while spending time with your “true self” produces personal fulfillment and artistic inspiration. So, you’ve read the first post in this series and you’ve acknowledged this struggle that every artist has and that’s the first step. Now, we need put in place some steps that will help us spend more time with our “true selves”.
This summer I spent some time with my family watching the very successful television series Friday Night Lights. In Episode #3, season 4, a character, portrayed in the show as an eclectic visual artist, was asked what the most important thing an artist has to do to become great. This is what he said: “You must be selfish. Your going to spend your life trying to express some quiet dark corner, deep deep inside you (your true self). You will put aside love, God, and life, in order to follow this craving. Screw everybody else and maybe you have a chance.”
Now, that is a bit hard core, and I get that. That said, I believe every artist has to come to grips with balancing their creative “true selves” with “love God, and life”. The problem is, as an artist, you already know full well that “your going to spend your life trying to express some quiet dark corner, deep deep inside you”. You know that this internal urge is relentless and simply can’t be denied. You also fear that denying it and trying to move forward without it will only lead to misery.
What then do we do? Should we “screw everybody else” as the above quote suggests? How do we handle the “love God, and life” part? Well, I am certainly not claiming that I know the answer to either question, but I do think we can focus on a few guiding principles that will help us manage both sides of the struggle. The key is spending time on a regular basis with our “true selves”.
Guiding Principle #2: It’s Good for us to be Selfish.
The very act of being selfish, if in the right context, actually helps us get in touch with our “true selves” Guiding Principle #1. Here are some tips I’ve found helpful.
1. Set time away EVERYDAY to be creative. A Pro is selfish about setting time aside.
2. Practice technique, but also practice being musically expressive. Technique is “ego” driven while the act of being musically expressive is “true self” driven.
3. Evaluate your practice time by asking the following question: “Was I expressively musical today?”
Also, during your daily creative time, deny your “ego” at all costs. Do not let “him” in. He wants to tear you down, tell you that you stink, and unfairly compare you to others, remember guiding principle #1? Your “ego” is a false representation of who you are so be selfish about denying “him”. In fact, he is jealous when you are selfish because “he” knows “he” is powerless when you connect to your “true self”.
Instead, selfishly spend time with your “true self”, allow inspiration in and that technique you have been working on will work, that bad habit you have been addressing will cease to exist. I know it doesn’t make sense but if it did, it wouldn’t be art. Somehow, accessing inspiration by spending time with our “true selves” has the power to apply ALL the technical issues that we have been painstakingly working on in the practice room. “It” bridges the gap between mechanical repetition in the practice room and the implementation of that work in performance. After all, Isn’t this process the main goal of learning to be a musician? Your “true self” is truly genius!
But what about “love, God, and life?” Well, I’ve found that experiencing inspiration EVERYDAY by connecting to my “true self” actually allows me to better experience “love, God, and life”. After connecting to my “true self” I feel invigorated to experience my whole life. I know it sounds crazy but it should come as no surprise, of course, because your “true self” is truly genius and capable of WAY more than your “ego”.
What are your general reactions to these ideas? How do you learn to apply technique to musical expression? Leave your comments below.
I must acknowledge Stephen Pressfield’s “The War of Art” in the refining of these ideas. This book is truly epic and you can purchase it here.
Originally posted on DrumChattr on November 18, 2010 by Thomas Burritt.
A few weeks back I was commenting on a post on DrumChattr that related to grad school application and auditions. It’s early November, and if memory serves me right, most applications start coming due around the first of December. So… ‘Tis the season for thinking about grad school auditions. However, in posting on the DrumChattr message boards, I got myself thinking about auditions in general, and I have some thoughts that I want to share, namely some tips for improving your audition skills. (more…)
There is so much to know about being a musician that sometimes the little things are not addressed. Some of those “little things” are etiquette issues. As teachers, we can only do so much in lessons and ensemble rehearsals. So I’ve have decided to start a list. I would like to start an open dialogue about etiquette issues and create a comprehensive list that can be turned into a PDF that we can all share with our students. I welcome any feedback and contributions. (more…)
