I was talking with my flute colleague Peggy Russell yesterday at Flute Juries about Tone and really developing and teaching a great sound. She said she had read an article about Itzhak Perlman and wine. In this article he was talking about the complexity of a fine wine and how a great sound is like a great wine, Complex....
A great wine and a fine sound are complex, multi dimensional, rich in timbre and texture, have a fragrant bouquet, a unique character, are balanced, have brilliance, body, are bold, clean, clear, have depth, earthy, elegant, fruity, full, light, lively, luscious, mature, mellow, noble, powerful, soft, spicy, sweet, vigorous, woody, smooth to the finish....
How we learn about complexity in a great sound is by listening... developing our ear to hear and discern what makes up a great sound. How we teach it is in playing for our students, having them attend concerts and classes, listing to recordings ( I love this link to NPR's 50 Great Voices NPR's 50 Great Voices) and in how they practice tone and how involved and engaged are they in listening with new ears and in opening and refining how they listen...
If we what to change, develop improve ourself as a musician? We need to change, transform, develop, enrich, educate, attune, refine how we listen...
Some Ideas I have written about:
The Art of Listening http://www.jenniferkeeney.com/documents/ArtofListening2010_002.pdf
How you listen is what transforms you into a musician and The Art of Listening is the Path to becoming a great Artist, Musician, Flutist. What are you listening to?
How sensitive, aware, refined, integrated, fresh, are your listening skills? Make sure to cleanse, open and nourish your ears during each practice session.
There are many kinds of Ears you can use to enter the Path, to the Art of Listening. It is essential to learn about and Master all of these Ears and Levels of Listening.
Ears:
Physical
Mental
Emotional
Spiritual
Happy Listening,
Jennifer
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