Hi Brian,
I am in agreement with everything you said. As you know I have played for
30 years and from the beginning improvisation came naturally to me. But
lack of technique limited my ability to improvise. I knew what I wanted to
say but couldn't go there. As my technique improved so did my ability to
improvise. The feelings or emotions didn't go away because my skill
increased. I could now better express those emotions.
Self-taught beginners just play the notes they are comfortable with and
avoid the others. It's like the way they say we only use 3 % of our brains.
When you study traditionally you have to play what the notation and/or your
teacher asks for. Now you can stretch out. You have a bigger pallet. The
whole flute is yours to explore.
I've met many beginners who don't want to put in the time. That's cool,
but why not admit that you don't have the discipline at this time to
woodshed and not make up a theory about how technique, or traditional study
will ruin your creativity? It's true that some get stuck in technique and
have trouble being spontaneous, but I don't think that comes from formal
practice. Some just take to improvisation more than others, skilled or not.
One other thing. After all this time I've met many people who got a
shakuhachi and taught themselves to play. Almost all played out of tune and
could just use part of the flute. None had a full shakuhachi sound. A few
had an interesting way of playing but would keep getting stuck in a rut from
lack of foundation. I traveled around the world for three years with my
first shakuhachi before taking lessons. I approached it like a saxaphone
and had fun. When I got back I found a teacher and began traditional
lessons. I learned more at the first lesson than I had on my own for three
years. After studying for years a player can then discover and improve a
lot on his own, but not much before.
Best to all,
Peter
Peter
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