Music Lessons: A Case Against “Writing What You Know”

 

1. Practice

“It's time to practice the piano, Keith.”

“Can I play outside a little longer, mom?”

“No.  Come on inside and start practicing.”

Growing up, not wanting to practice piano had little to do with my passion for music.

I have loved music for as long as I can remember.  It holds a spell over me I’ve yet to escape.

To this day, I scour the world for new music like a junkie looking for a fix.

No, it wasn’t the music.  It was the practicing part I hated.

I hated doing something I couldn’t do.  Still do.

Back then, I hated the awkward back-and-forth game of squinting at the sheet music, while stomaching the god-awful disharmony bleeding from the keys I pressed.

I hated that my fingers wouldn't do what my brain told them.

Practicing the piano frustrated the living sin out me.  It was unpleasant.

Every time I sat down to practice, I would give up on the new piece I was supposed to learn and play something I already knew.

“That’s not what you’re supposed to be practicing,” mom would say. 

 

2. Edges

There is always something beyond the edge of our current ability.

Something we don’t have the skill or knowledge (or both) to do.  Or, at least, do well.

Creativity exists in tension.

It is the tool we use to connect things that don’t seem to go together in ways that reveal new relationships and experiences.  And it’s the tool we use to find a temporary home within the tension of opposing poles.

There are at least two edges in the fabric of our creative work.

One edge is what we describe when we say an artist is “edgy".  They push beyond the cultural edges of taste, technique and/or shared values.

The other edge we face, as creatives is the edge of our knowledge and abilities.

The only way to move beyond these edges is through deliberate practice.

Which means working beyond our comfort zone.

Which means spending more time working on things we can’t yet do, than working on things we either can do or come naturally to us.

3. Stride

When I was in college, I remember wanting to learn stride piano.  Stride piano is a jazz style where your left hand jumps between tenths and chords in 4/4 time, while your right hand plays the melody. 

I worshiped at the altars of Fats Waller and Willie “The Lion” Smith. 

Stride is an insanely difficult style to learn.

But, one chord at a time, played very slowly, day after day after day led me to the day I discovered I could play a Fats Waller song. 

Then, I could play it fast. 

Then, I could compose my own stride songs.

Then, years passed and I moved onto practicing the crafts of poetry and essays.

I can’t play stride piano any more.

4. Myth

Writers like to write in a style and voice in which they’re comfortable.  Poets too.

Musicians like to play songs and licks they’ve mastered.  The ones that get applause.

Painters like to paint things they’ve painted before.  Using a style and color palette they’re confident using.  Designers do this too.

Actors gravitate toward certain characters.

Photographers lean on the same subjects and Photoshop techniques.

Teachers tend to teach from what they know.

Why?

Because spending our limited days on earth doing rote tasks that make us feel bad about ourselves isn't what comes to mind when we dream about "the creative life".

Yet that is what distinguishes those who grow as artists from those who don't.

It's what is required when we commit to working at "the edge" of our creative life.

Maybe those that tell us to "write what you know," are propagating that notion to protect themselves—to limit their competition.

Because if we work on what we don't know and can't do, we're going to grow and get pretty damn good at our craft.

And we may expose long-held beliefs as the myths they are.

Creativity exists in tension.  It thrives when we’re confined.

You'll know you're really practicing when you want to quit and run away.

Are you feeling this tension as you work?

It feels like failure.

And it evokes frustration.  Lots of it.

Look up for a minute.  Hi!  I'm right here with you...

...at the edges.

Let's go in, okay?

It's time to practice. 

If you want a 1-minute baptism into stride piano, click here.  Be careful, though.  Your brain may explode.

First time reading?  I write this blog for writers, artists and other creative types.  My goal is to show you the familiar in unfamiliar ways.  Unlock your creativity.  And re-connect you to your craft and community.  Please invite other artists to join the conversation!

Comments

[LarryTheDeuce]

Trying something newer and harder makes those things we're doing feel much easier.

[Eileen]

So many great thoughts here, Keith. I spent years running away from the things in life that I didn't know or would challenge me too much. But you are right, when we make the choice to confront and to tackle those difficult topics that's when we do the most growing. Both in writing and in life. Good post!

[Suzie Gallagher]

I do not like conflict, rather than face it I would avoid it, have spent my life doing this both personally and professionally and spiritually.
How much things have changed!
Sunday, after a blesséd service, where I managed to hit all the right notes (with much help from the Lord), listened to an inspired sermon, spending time with others choosing hymns for following week, whilst watching a drama enfold.

A drama that I was involved in albeit at the time didn't realise how much people had dropped me in it! I walked over to the first person and smoothed waves, the second person had to have their say in it's entirety, although it had been said a few times already. My stomach was in knots, but I smiled, i said a lot of "I knows" and when the person who had dropped me in it came over I told my truth, in love to all these people. When the first two people left, with smiles and hugs for me, the third decided I should be the one to sort it all out going forward and spent an angst afternoon composing non judgemental, non offending emails to all concerned.
The result: all parties are happy to move on from the misunderstanding and I left looking at myself, looking at the Lord, and wondering what else is there I have been hiding from that He will help me with now?

I know the above isn't about writing or creativity, but it was all about communication and that is the bottom line with writing - the ability to convey, to communicate a feeling, an emotion, a tension.

Great post Keith, very detailed, very insightful, thank you.

[Keith Jennings]

Larry,

Now that's a positive outlook right there! I tend to bitch & whine. I get the job done. But I bitch & whine the whole time.

[Keith Jennings]

Eileen,

Thanks! And I'm so glad you made the connection between the creative and life. I see them as one in the same and try to write most of the essays here so you could replace our focus on the creative with one on everday life.

[Keith Jennings]

Suzie,

When exercising, we must tear our muscles in order to strengthen them. I think relationships work like this too.

Of course, there is a destructive kind of tearing, but I'm talking about the constructive kind. You are too, which is beautiful.

Thank you, as always, for your comment!

[Kim]

"You'll know you're really practicing when you want to quit and run away"....ha! At least I know I'm practicing.

[georgia]

only a good writer {you} could make "can we go in and practice?" as exciting as "can we go out and play?"

if you love what you do, i think practice often IS play. but you bring up a good point... i get stuck playing the same old tune when i am not careful. sometimes pure enjoyment turns into pure safety and comfort zone, even when i know full-well it has become pure boredom. and if i play that record too long, it's difficult to lift the needle out of such a deep groove. i think those are the ruts i get into... even in the things i do that are not typically thought of as creative... like cleaning the house or watching my son.

your post made me think... it seems that maybe the best reason to let your children take some sort of lessons {like piano or skiing or sewing...} when they are young is not solely so they will know how to play piano or ski or sew, but so that they will learn the art of practicing and discipline. i never took any sort of lessons as a child {my parents raised five kids and never really had the funds to pay for those things for us}. and i really believe it has had an effect on my ability to be disciplined in practicing or pushing beyond the edges as an adult. so this is something i'm having to learn later in life... am still learning. practicing practice. ughh. it's tough! glad you're out there with us cheering us on!

okay, i'm off to practice... {but first i've got some stride listening to do...}

[georgia]

i'm going to assume {after watching the clip you linked to and knowing what a jazz-lover you are} that you have seen burns' entire 'jazz" documentary. my husband and i saw it a few years ago and were mesmerized throughout. we keep commenting how we would like to watch it again. seeing the clip has made me want to walk to the library and check it out again. of course, who has that kind of time with a ten-month-old? but then again, we could let him watch, too... gotta pass down that jazz appreciation and love that my dad passed down to me! thanks for the link! i'm impressed that you could once play stride!

[Keith Jennings]

Kim,

There you go! Now you know.

[Keith Jennings]

Georgia,

"Playing same old notes turns pure enjoyment into pure safety and then pure boredom." That right there is the quote of the day!

I also loved, "practicing practice". We MUST do that! It sounds strange, but how else can we learn to practice if we don't practice it.

The concept of "deliberate practice" is a scientific one. That phrase refers to a specific kind of practice where we work directly on improving an outcome rather than an output.

To illustrate the concept, let's use basketball. Practice = shooting 100 free throws. Deliberate practice = getting 80% or more of your free throws in the goal. See the difference?

Many of the greatest jazz musicians emerged from homes that couldn't support their development. But their drive and persistence to be a musician overcame these obstacles.

I think we should expose our kids to music, sports, art, crafts, etc. And once we see the spark in them, nuture that spark in whatever creative outlet turns them on.

And, finally, I've seen Burns' documentary countless times. I had a period from about my senior year of high school through my early 20s where I didn't listen to anything but jazz, classical and Celtic music. So I was intimately familiar with much of what he covered. But it was cool SEEING the old schoolers through the archive footage.

[Virginia Lee]

Keith - Excellant and motivating post with great insight and analogies. Loved listening to the "stride" too! ;-)Thank you.

[Jason Vana]

Practice is so key to growing in anything. If we just continue to do what we're good at, we won't really grow or change or become more creative. Great post, Keith!

[Karen]

Keith.. the very first thing I thought about when I read this was my habits.

In photography and editing, I use the same programs to edit, because it's what I am confortable with. I refuse to learn "photoshop". I use the same programs that i have used in the past 10 years even though the program is outdated and doesn't have the fancy tools like what photoshop has.

learning a new tool is always scary and leaves us vulnerable in our work. I have tried Photoshop and I gave up on it 10 minutes in and went back to my other programs.

I do this with my healing in therapy, I do this in my writing, I do this in life.

in my healing I was told that while moving through hard things, sometimes you just have to "fake it" in doing something that is uncomfortable until you can believe it. Eventaully I will see that it's OK to do something out of my comfort zone - I have used that tool everywhere I go. WHen I feel something is new and hard, I will fake it and try it, until I learn to love it and work with it.

In my writing, I do see a pattern of sticking to what is comfortable, and that does create tension when I want to step outside of my comfort zone and write something new or different in my blog.

Today you post really made me think about stepping outside of that comfort zone to try something new by "practicing" getting the feel of writing something out of my zone - maybe I will "fake it" and learn to love it.. and maybe I will give photoshop another shot!

[Keith Jennings]

Thanks, Virginia! And glad you had a listen to Willie "The Lion" Smith!

[Keith Jennings]

Thanks Jason!

It's like trying to cook with a three-year-old. You could do it faster and easier the standard way. But the slow, messy way offers things you can't get anywhere else!

[Keith Jennings]

Karen,

Great comment! I enjoyed "hearing" you think this out.

Here's an important point with practice and pushing past edges. We should make sure our efforts are constructive. Or, at the very least, deconstructive.

Anything that's destructive to ourselves, another being (human or animal), or the environment isn't worth the effort.

I believe in the types of tensions that make us stronger, smarter, healthier and more connected with ourselves, our neighbors, our surroundings and our Creator.

Like the "write what you know" artist, I think the tortured artist routine is over-rated too. Don't you?

[Karen]

almost like when you hear the word "constructive criticism" ? it's hard to hear, but it helps move you along to be stronger in places you never thought you could :)

[Kim]

"Anything that's destructive to ourselves, another being (human or animal), or the environment isn't worth the effort.

I believe in the types of tensions that make us stronger, smarter, healthier and more connected with ourselves, our neighbors, our surroundings and our Creator."

This sounds like a great "blog mission statement" :)

[Keith Jennings]

Kim...or one's life mission!

[Kevin Tuck]

Excellent insights here - thanks keith.

I've often pondered what makes you creative, having spent many hours practicing the piano, and also attempting to compose music, much of it lousy!

Often my most creative periods have been when I've put together things that don't seem to go together at first.

I've also worked creating music by workshopping with people with very little or no musical experience, and it's pretty difficult for them to be creative in a field they don't know. Therefore, all those days sitting behind the piano in the practice room do work out in the end - all those tools are in your head, and they come out in the most unusual ways!

[Keith Jennings]

Kevin,

Well said! I like that you've introduced the fact that it's hard to be creative in an area we lack experience and skills.

Thanks!