Musicality Book Club, Week 5

Musicality Book Club  Joy in Motion w5  link

I was most struck by Mathieus loss of the intuitive way to experience music. His story of how he during his first piano lesson stayed in the intellect without any support or training for the other side of the musical experience. (P81-82)

“My brain simply got ahead of my ear, and who was to know the danger of that? I had to wait a quarter century before I knew once again how to enter the musical realm of the nameless.”

This has been a central issue for me since last spring when I found a way to work with the intellectual side of music.

For some reason I had never understood the basic rhythm of tango but I was leading to the melody and other structures that I could find in the songs. All this was totally beyond my intellect. My dance was magic to me, my feet were fantastic when they found their way in the music. When my followers praised my phrasing and musicality, I looked at my feet and commended them!
During last two years, I understood that others heard something more, they were dancing to something I did not recognized but I could not get it and no one managed to explain me what they heard!

Last spring, I got hold on Joaquín Amenabars tutorial book on music for tango dancers and began intensive period of  reading and practicing. After only two weeks I finally started to discern the tango's characteristic four -beat rhythm. I was like others!

At the same time I began to wonder how this would affect my dancing?

With Mathieu terms, I started to leave the innocent / intuitive way to relate to the music.

Two of my DJ friends told me that their experience became stronger when they know more about the music. A professional musician however, said he was disturbed to be aware of  the musical structure during his dance.

For me, the biggest fear was/is to start perceive music as a clock that ticks. Just like looking at a painting and only see and analyze the brush strokes but not experience the painting itself. (*)

Mathieu confirmed my fears - if you are careless you can get out of mind/heart balance.

Therefore, I am now definitely more eager to think and seek opportunities to train the intuitive side also.

* Mathieu talks about singing – it helped him to get back to a nameless experience.

* I remember an article about a Russian violinist who played every day until the music started to sound inside her. I think her intuitive/heart had been activated then.

* At a Saturday dance I tried to be totally unfocused - as in a type of meditation - when I danced. To stop my intellect - it can be an opportunity

* To keep on intellectual/theoretical work just for a period and then stopp. During the pause you let it become part of you, integrate it with your earlier skills. Worth of a test I think.

Another question is How do we find balance and exercises in teaching so that participants understand the difference and importance to practice both parts.

(*) The feeling of cold, technical dance I have now COULD be that I am unfamiliar with the new way of hearing and can get back to my experinece again when accustomed to this level of hearing.

Bridge of  Waves, W.A. Mathieu