[TPIN] What does your brain do when you're playing?

[William Benzon]

on 4/6/08 1:57 PM, Adi Soon at adisoon at gmail.com wrote:

> Hi all,
> 
> thanks for the great responses, hope that others will chime in.
> 
> The reason why I asked the question was when I was able to hear a tune, and
> immediately reproduce it perfectly on the trumpet, I am a little
> uncomfortable that I cannot immediately, tell you what notes I played,
> unless I went over it slowly and transcribed it on paper.

That's fine. That's how it is. I mean, how do you think musicians function
in cultures without a notation system?

& once you've picked out a tune by ear, you can try playing it up a half
step, or down.

As for transcribing it on paper, that's fine too. Essential, in fact. I
still have notebooks of some of the tunes I transcribed as a child.

> 
> Considering what I've read about musicianship, I've never come across
> anything that states that the goal of playing music is to be able to just
> play. Just like riding a bike, or speaking words, where it becomes an
> unconscious, automatic ability.

But that's how jazz works, like riding a bike. You just do it.

>It seems that there is a disconnect here. In
> the sense, that trumpet players are told to do Arban, without verbalizing
> the goal of the process, or perhaps the state of the player's mind in
> actually playing music. The only time I remember someone saying something
> like this briefly is Rafeal Mendez, in the clip I saw on Youtube saying that
> trumpet players should practice scales, so that the mechanics of the
> instrument are forgotten in the actual playing. (Then he proceeds to play
> Flight of the Bumble Bee.)
> 
> So I will add 2 further questions.
> 
> : When playing long pieces, is the playing process during performance just a
> series of mechanically repeated actions honed through rehearsal?

It depends on the player and the tune. The fact is, sometimes what happens
is that you work out a specific approach to a jazz solo and then pretty much
take the same approach each time you play that tune. It won't be an exact
repetition, but approximate, yes.

When you're starting out, there's nothing wrong with working out a specific
approach to a given tune. You may even want to write out a solo. This way
you get a chance to have some form and shape to the solo instead of just a
bunch of licks.

E player has their set of licks and phrases and tactics. When you're just
starting out and your set of tricks is limited, it may seem like you're
doing the same thing time after time. But once you've built up your
vocabulary, you get more freedom and variety.


> What is the role of memory vs unconscious reflexes in playing music?

You've got to remember the form within which you're working. Yes, the rhythm
section will cue you, but you don't want to depend on those cues. You've got
to know the changes, you've got to know when the bridge is coming and
anticipate it, and you've got to know when the next chorus starts and
approach it appropriately. Much of what you actually do within the form,
however, will depend on unconscious reflexes.
-- 

William L. Benzon
708 Jersey Avenue, Apt. 2A
Jersey City, NJ 07302
201 217-1010

"You won't get a wild heroic ride to heaven on pretty little
sounds."--George Ives

Mind-Culture Coevolution: http://asweknowit.ca/evcult/
The Valve (cultural blog): http://tinyurl.com/ormqg





> 
> -Adi
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