Last month the suggestions in PART 1 of this series hopefully seeded something useful for you. I’d like to extend that in this article with some tips which might take you further away from your chosen instrument, but who knows where that might lead.
Let’s jump in the deep end to start with you having a go at a different instrument. It will challenge you in unexpected ways and new ideas and possibilities will appear. Or how about a test for a keen player which would be to not touch their instrument for a period but keep studying it, considering new repertoire, styles, rhythms and influences. You will surely pick it up again with fresh insights.
An alternative, one step removed from music, would be to practice in another artistic field. Or it might be even simpler than that. For instance why not study and look for inspiration in the visual arts? I have found this to be especially stimulating. Working in silence with the mind contemplating textures and structures or wandering around an image or scene.
Extend this by getting into the art and practice of someone working in a field unrelated to music. A landscape photographer works with the available light found only at certain times of the day or under certain weather conditions. First light for example can be an inspiration to a photographer. How stimulating might that time of day be for a musician, hearing the extraordinary quiet broken only by the birds’ chorus? Most photographers work in the moment capturing the scene before them. Generally they take many shots with their digital equipment trusting that on returning to their studio the perfect shot or series of shots will unfold before them.
Like them, why not take your instrument into the bush and play it. Take a battery powered amp if you need it. Record what you are playing and then go back to your studio to listen to what you came up with. A composer colleague of mine who was also an ornithologist insisted that the dawn chorus in certain national parks in Australia rings in particular keys. As well as making field recordings of such sites he would take along his keyboard or percussion instruments and improvise with the birds. If nothing else such communing with nature can only be a beautiful experience in the moment.
Working with dancers was an inspiration for me. They think so differently with pieces they are creating. As a musician I move through a piece guided by the sounds being made, but the dancers are thinking with their body, with one shape or movement leading to another. Improvising with them is a lot of fun. At times they lead and you follow their gestures and shapes, then at other times they might let your strong rhythms dominate the work being created in that moment. This sort of opportunity can present itself in surprising ways. As a starter you could ask a local yoga or tai chi group if you can accompany their class, and see where it goes from there. You don’t always need a plan… sometimes you need to just breathe, trust and see what happens.
Michael has a recording studio in Peachester. If you would like to find out more contact him on 0419 026 895 or E: mwhitick@bigpond.net.au