Perfection in the human realm is a myth and yet it persists.
In a recent interview with host Terry Gross on Fresh Air, a famous cellist said, “What helps me avoid being paralyzed is just saying, ‘I’m doing as productive as I can. ‘And if that doesn’t work, then I know my goal is to make as productive as possible.
Ma added that he is still alive and working, avoiding burnout by saying, “How can you rejuvenate, rejuvenate, be constantly curious and active and do the best you can? I try to forgive myself because I don’t need to be neurotic. “
Understanding its limits is complicated for most sensible performers. Musicians say Ma could fall into the trap of “industrial aesthetics”: a mistake-free performance, as may be the case in the production industry.
Looking for more information, I asked director Tiffany Chang, “I tell musicians that the functionality of one and both doesn’t have to be exactly the same. It’s easy for a musician to have an ideal product in mind, and we both strive to recreate that ideal in practice. This is not practical! Phrasing, rhythm changes, and complicated turns don’t want to be executed in exactly the same way. It is more important to be aware of each other at this time and walk through those passages together.
“I remind them that the best option is not the destination,” says Chang. “The goal is to take a step towards the best. There is no better interpretation. Only our interpretation is correct for us today because of all the factors, human and otherwise, that we face today. It helps you focus on being more than just being the best.
“I help my musicians by offering interpretation, while also giving them artistic license and a space to find a way to realize that musical symbol on their own, rather than giving them step-by-step commands or micromanagement,” Chang says. “I ask them for the basic concepts of a story and ask them to locate and interpret the evidence in the music that supports and describes that specific story. ”
Yo-Yo Ma helps to stay calm by employing other thinking tactics. Analytical thinking focuses on facts. Empathic thinking focuses on feeling, but there’s something else: tactile thinking. His spouse knows what he is doing because she may believe he is playing cello without betting. Mom says many others do the same, whether it’s golf or tennis, thinking. about how you’re going to play a shot or react to a ball hitting you.
“It’s easy to think, ‘I just need this to get better,’ which is quite confusing and can lead to a more reactive and passive technique than proactive,” Chang says. On the other hand, Chang works as a coach. “I ask musicians to think of one, two or three specific goals to achieve in each practice and performance session. ”
Listening is a smart way, perhaps the most productive, to stay in tune with yourself and others. Chang says, “Listening is very important to achieve that connection and synergy. The way a piece is directed in one way at one time does not dictate how it will be performed the next time.
“It’s more vital that we are singing to each other right now and everyone in today’s performance, rather than becoming bullies or stubbornly doing things ‘more fairly’ according to a theoretical ideal,” Chang adds. And that’s not bad advice for the rest of us. Listen, collaborate, and see what smart things can happen.
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