Success Beyond The Score

"The beautiful thing about learning is that nobody can take it away from you."
—B. B. King, blues musician 

Material things come and go. They can be used up, break down, get lost or stolen. Once you learn something, though, it stays with you. Not only that, but the more you use and share knowledge, the more it solidifies and grows. However, the opposite is true: if you don't apply, revisit or otherwise think about what you have learned, you may forget with time. 

•  What are your thoughts about this quote?

•  What are some things you do to retain the skills and knowledge you have learned?

Give it some thought and share your conclusions with us, if you feel like it.

I am always doing that which I cannot do in order that I may learn how to do it

—Vincent van Gogh, in a letter to Anthon van Rappard about his process for the creation of the painting ‘The Potato Eaters’

This quote is an interesting counterpoint to the last one we shared, written by Friedrich Nietzsche. The only way in which Vincent Van Gogh can figure out how to paint the subjects of his painting is by trying to paint them, the same way that we learn how to play a song by attempting to play it.

Let's use this juxtaposition to think about perfectionism and our fear of failure. It is easy to fall into the trap of procrastination under the guise of "preparing" for something that we don't know how to do. However, we do need a solid technical foundation and/or context knowledge in order to achieve the things that we want to achieve.

• How do you strive to reach this balance in your music?
• Do you have other ways to fight perfectionism off? 

Give these questions some thought, and...

He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying.
—Friedrich Nietzsche, in ‘Thus Spoke Zarathustra’

This quote invites me to reflect about the process inherent to creativity. What comes before what when learning how to be an artist —musician or otherwise. Why is it like this, and how it conciliates with the notion of "learning by doing."

• How does the idea expressed by this quote make you think about your creative process?
• How does this impact your music journey?

I would love to read what you think.

"What we play is life."
—Louis Armstrong, in ‘His Own Words: Selected Writings’

When I came across this quote, it prompted a lot of thoughts and ideas. I am interested in knowing what it brings to your mind. Try listening to some of the timeless songs of Louis Armstrong, which are his thoughts put into practice, to reflect.

What does "what we play is life" mean to you, as a musician? You can tell me here.

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters, compared to what lies within us.”
—Henry S. Haskins in ‘Meditations in Wall Street’ (William Morrow & Co.)

We tend to remain occupied with what has happened in our past and what may happen in the future, instead of looking at what we have to contribute to the world with our music in the present.

Instead of worrying about the mistakes of our last performance, and getting anxious about the mistakes we could make in the future, we should be focusing in what we can do right now to practice and improve, and what we can deliver to the audience when we are with them.

Any thoughts? Share them with us.