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Jam it on the one.
I trained, studied, and played classical piano from the age of 6-17. I studied music theory, worked the muscles in my hands and fingers to play excellently, and memorized four pieces of music per year such that I can still play Beethoven Sonatas and Bach Fugues by memory 17 years later!
When I came of age, moved to Chicago and began making friends and attending parties with musicians who learned blues and jazz on the streets, I felt ashamed that I could not sit down and "jam" with these musicians whom I was technically better than! It pained me to sit down at a piano and feel lost without a sheet of music in front of me and decided that it was time to overcome my classical uptightness and learn to jam.
I picked two musicians who I believed would not make fun of me when I fumbled and made mistakes and listened to what they told me to do: play an A chord, then play a D chord, and repeat until fade. I actually did it! I jammed for the first time when I was 25 years old! I let go of control, made mistakes (something not encouraged with my history of classical piano playing), and felt a supreme sense of release - here I am, using my skills and technique to play from MY heart! I wasn't playing the geniuses of days past - Debussy, Bach, Chopin, Beethoven - but I was playing!
I learned that playing music through jamming is MUCH different than studying piano and performing. I could have written this story in the "Relationship" section, as that is what jamming is about. I needed "chops", the technique and skills of hand and finger muscle control, but I also needed to be in relationship with my fellow musicians.
It is a beautiful form of playing and connecting with others that goes beyond anything I'd experienced. I love drum circles and chanting with groups for the same reason. Being musically creative in relationship with others is an intimacy completely different than talking and a new way of connecting beyond physical intimacy with another being.
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Hey Jillian,
First off, the title of this post totally made me giggle. I soo hope you were referencing Cosby (please do tell!)
And i loved your story. I switch back and forth between control freak and well, less of a control freak (freak being a loving word here). So to here how you faced your fear is inspiring (And therefore could have also been posted under Inspiration..)
Not sure if you know this, but our site is called PeopleJam for the very reason which you speak. Its about people coming together in relationship to one another to create a flow. So, nicely explained.
beth |community coordinator | life coach |seeker of knowledge|
Beth,
My title was totally unconscious - I knew that it was a real phrase heard before, but now that you mention "Cosby Show", I do remember that episode and can picture Bill Cosby in his sweater doing his dance. Talk about pop culture!
Thanks for the feedback, I always appreciate getting and reading your responses.
Jillian Eichel, M.Ed.
Director of Coaching and Singles Programs
445 East Ohio, Suite 260
Chicago, IL 60611
www.wrightliving.com
Hey Jillian
I read this with interest. Like you, I am a classical piano player. Recently, my piano teacher recommended that I start improvising. After years of memorizing sheet music, I found the process of improv incredibly daunting. It was like learning an entirely new skill.
From time to time, it's useful to try to do familiar things in an unfamiliar way. Not just musical instruments, everything: the way we drive, the way we exercise, the things we do to relax, the way we communicate at work, etc. This is a very good way to get a fresh perspective and a new appreciation for the things we otherwise might take for granted.
Hi Rob,
Can you apply the same freedom principles of abstract painting to the piano? As an on again-off again artist, I always find it daunting to let go of realism and even expressionism and surrender to abstractionism (which I'm sure abtractionists and neo-abstractionists would describe as precise). I worry about it looking amateurish or forced or like something a 2nd-grader did. Maybe you worry about the same thing when improvising on the piano?
When in doubt, take a deep breath and jump. I'll go crazy on the canvas if you let go on the piano.
Tara and Rob,
Have you done any improvising?
Jillian
I grew up playing trombone, from middle school through college. Recently I started learning bass guitar, and getting together with muscians to jam. It's a totally different process, and takes some getting used to but it can really freeing. That feeling of locking into a groove with other musicians is like nothing else I've ever experienced. The music becomes it's own being, something greater than the sum of the people making it.
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