Does it feel personal ?

[m1469]

I am in the process of realizing/thinking about some things that are important to me with my experiences in music.  And I have some questions for anybody who is willing to answer.


Does it feel like a personal experience to you when you "share" music with others in the form of playing for them ?

Does it matter to you if your experiences with music feel personal ?

Is there a particular style of music/composer that feels more personal for you than others ?

If it does not feel personal to you to share in the form of performance, does it feel more so to share in some other form, like education, for example ?


I wonder if I should define my use of the word "personal" ?  I suppose I mainly mean, connected and as though you are discovering something almost new about yourself or life.  And something which pertains directly to you.


Thanks for your thoughts,

m1469

[BoliverAllmon]

I do find it personal to play for other people. I think it should feel personal or connected. you need to communicate to the audience when playing. Right now, I only play pieces that I like, therefore I can always connect, but if I was playing something that I didn't like say liszt's B min. It would just be a bunch of notes and really crappy.

boliver

[perfect_pitch]

I always try and make the music my own. I guess I just perform how I feel on the day.

If I have had a lousy day and all hell is on my back, I may play a chopin Nocturne a little faster than I should, or try and make it just that bit more virtuosic rather than simple...

I enjoy playing just classical music (classical in the term 1650 - 1900), but I love the Romantic period and the early 20th Centure like Rachmaninoff and Late Liszt. I love to share my performances with people and try and make them feel the same emotions I am feeling when playing the piece. I also like to help students realise how great Classical Music, which is why I am doing a double degree in Music Education. I want to work with students who appreciate the brilliance of Classical Music.

But that's just me....

Damn you Boliver... you beat me to posting the first reply - Damn you   

[m1469]

Okay, but, does it feel as though you are leaving a personal mark that nobody else could ?

[BoliverAllmon]

I don't know about if anyone else can do what I do and that to me doesn't really matter. I am expressing my feelings to the audience if someone feels the same way great. why should I feel differently than everyone else in the world? I feel the same way when it comes to composing. If my stuff sounds like somebody else's great. I don't really care. I am putting my feelings and moods down on paper. I don't have to be different from everyone else. If someone doesn't like what I play or compose due to not being original then that is there loss.

boliver

[m1469]

I don't know about if anyone else can do what I do and that to me doesn't really matter. I am expressing my feelings to the audience if someone feels the same way great. why should I feel differently than everyone else in the world? I feel the same way when it comes to composing. If my stuff sounds like somebody else's great. I don't really care. I am putting my feelings and moods down on paper. I don't have to be different from everyone else. If someone doesn't like what I play or compose due to not being original then that is there loss.

boliver

Yes, okay.  One of the things that stands out to me about what you just posted here is that you say you are "expressing your feelings to the audience".  Nobody else can actually do that, their feelings are their feelings, even if they seem similar to your's, I suppose.  And as you mention composing, again, you say you are putting *your* "feelings and moods down on paper".  Nobody else can do that.  So, I suppose whether it's "different" or "original" or not, the essence of what I am wondering is what you already answered in that post right there.  It feels like YOU.


Thanks,
m1469

[ted]

In my case I am consciously sharing ideas rather than performance. Let's be frank, I'm not exactly close to the top of the heap as far as performance ability per se is concerned ! I post recordings of myself primarily to plant a few seeds of confidence in the minds of those who have had their creativity inhibited by the usual hidebound channels of musical education. I'm years past worrying about whether somebody thinks I'm any good at playing, writing, improvising and so on. I just do what I have to do in music and I couldn't care less what people think in matters of quality.

Put it this way, if even one or two people hear the things I post and say to themselves, "Here's a silly old fart with no training or technique who seems to be getting more enjoyment out of his music than many products of the orthodox systems", then my purpose in posting will have been accomplished.

This is because recently I really do feel that nowhere near enough talented people, sometimes extremely talented people, are enjoying their music. They're all so busy competing, comparing, struggling, striving, worrying and seriously injuring themselves that intuitive fun has dropped out of sight altogether.

That's the main reason I post recordings. Call it personal if you like; I don't know whether it is or not.

 

[abell88]

I feel very personal when I share music I have written, and to a certain extent playing other works...an older friend of mine was in a rehab hospital once and I came and played the piano for her...she said she had had no idea I had all that in me (something like that). I was playing Grieg's Nocturn, La Fille aux cheveux de lin, and other beautiful expressive pieces...and I felt like I was offering part of myself.

[dolcejen]

Good topic, m1469...interesting to think about.

Does it feel like a personal experience to you when you "share" music with others in the form of playing for them ?

Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't. I find that usually when I play out of a book it becomes more of a mechanical thing. I really feel like I'm sharing music with others especially in the situation as follows: A large group of people are mingling, working in a room. I sit down and play the piano, playing whatever comes to mind. I find that I have a great amount of control over the whole mood of the room! If I play something happy everybody's step gets a bit lighter, if I play something thoughtful the room calms down. I often like to improvise and compose off the top of my head when I'm in that kind of situation - feel the room out and write or improvise something appropriately. At those moments I feel at one with the music and the "soul" of the room.

Another situation when music becomes personal for me is when I am playing for God. I can communicate to Him through my music sometimes better than through words. Sometimes He gives me songs and those are highly personal and encouraging. 

Does it matter to you if your experiences with music feel personal ?

Yes, music must be personal for me to really enjoy it. It must speak to my soul and mind and be an expression of my thoughts and feelings or else it is wooden and machine-like.

Is there a particular style of music/composer that feels more personal for you than others ?

Oh definitely! Right now I feel very connected to Rachmaninov. Seems like the expression of his music fits perfectly the feelings that I'm having in life right now. Another arranger that I've really enjoyed, and probably none of you would know who he is, is Dan Forrest, Jr. His hymn arrangements feel like they are coming from a "kindred spirit."

Music must be an expression of the heart and soul to connect with other's hearts and souls. I have had many moments when I felt that I was connecting with the audience and it truly has been thrilling.

[rimv2]

I am in the process of realizing/thinking about some things that are important to me with my experiences in music.  And I have some questions for anybody who is willing to answer.


Does it feel like a personal experience to you when you "share" music with others in the form of playing for them ?

Does it matter to you if your experiences with music feel personal ?

Is there a particular style of music/composer that feels more personal for you than others ?

If it does not feel personal to you to share in the form of performance, does it feel more so to share in some other form, like education, for example ?


I wonder if I should define my use of the word "personal" ?  I suppose I mainly mean, connected and as though you are discovering something almost new about yourself or life.  And something which pertains directly to you.


Thanks for your thoughts,

m1469

At some point the audience is forgotten and it is no longer sharing but self indulgence.

Listened to many professor who talk only to hear there own voice, and piano teachers as well. It juss seems more acceptable on a musical instrument