Thursday, April 02, 2009

Beyond technique

When the amazing violinist and teacher Maxim Vengerov gives a masterclass he takes it for granted that his student is technically adept and instead works with him (or her) on bringing a sense of story to the music:



When Vengerov plays it's so much more than sweet-sounding notes played in the correct sequence and time.

Make no mistake: Both teacher and student have devoted an incredible amount of time and effort to the development of technique, but there is a playfulness, a sense of adventure, and a wonderful emotional engagement that Vengerov brings to his art.

1 comments:

Littlefair said...

Smashing insight Dan.

Makes me think of the idea that attaining dan grade means that you have mastered the basic techniques. The journey starts at black belt in an attempt to go (as you say) beyond technique.