Music necessarily comes from inside of us. We are capable of making music because it resides deep inside our souls somewhere. It is from there that we can then make an audible representation of an inward expression. I am sure scientists could train a monkey to play an instrument (if they haven't already), but the monkey would only be hitting notes… he would only make noise. With that said, true music comes from the same human vein as our emotions, reason, and spirituality. Music is one of those elements that separate us from other mammals.
Why, then, do we musicians spend most of our time making noise rather than fueling the inspiration within ourselves?
Allow me to explain, Dear Reader: Duke Ellington, one of the most profound jazz musicians and writers in modern history, deemed himself as "the greatest listener in the world." That is the philosophy by which musicians should live. My point is, we spend hours sweating in our practice spaces as we slave over sheet music and rudiments while we neglect to simply ingest inspiration. I am very confident that listening is just as important as playing. Our ears are the most important tool we have. We lack the patience to simply sit and listen to what is being played before we eagerly jump in. I don't know about you, but when I hear Duke's music, I continually ask myself, How could anyone come up with this stuff?
After reading about his life and discovering that he drew his inspiration from all over the world, it becomes very clear how he came up with that stuff… he listened. Above all else, he listened. This requires an incredible amount of discipline to sit and ingest, but we must.
As a drummer, keeping time is my ultimate goal. So, sometimes during my practice time I will simply plug in my metronome and listen. I won't play along, I won't come up with rhythms in my head… I'll just listen. I pay attention to the space in between beats. I feel the tempo.
Other times, when I feel the need to be creative, I will put in music of any genre and do nothing else but listen. I'll listen to the drum parts, of course, but it is also important to be aware of what all of the other musicians are doing. Listen for what is "behind" the music, so to speak… for those elements that elicit the given parts. This idea is essential on stage as well. When we become proficient at this concept of listening in the rehearsal space, it will become second nature when we step on stage. When we play live, we must become completely enveloped in what is happening around us. We must shift our focus from ourselves and place it on the other musicians. Only then will we play the appropriate notes, rhythms, and grooves. This is what makes music one of the most beautiful art forms! We are responding to each other's souls. It is a selfLESS process. Amazing!
My advice, Reader, as if you asked for it, is to spend an equal amount of time planting the seeds to your musicianship as you do harvesting. Ingest new music and new ideas in order that you may watch it grow out of you and into your audience so that they may repeat the process.
