The musicians among you will confirm this: forget notes and all that crap – the secret to playing a musical instrument is moving like the musicians do! Yes! I just figured that out yesterday.
Beta was at the music school Sunday practicing on the concert harp they have there (I have a key to get in on the weekend, that is so cool, wandering around an empty school like that, except of course the music school wasn’t entirely empty even on a Sunday, the hard-core musicians were there practicing) and since I bugged her sitting around listening to her, she sent me into another room to play my flute. And I sat there, going through some slow airs, and tried something new: moving the way I’ve seen flute players move – you know, sort of doing that kelp-like back-and-forth thing with your upper body, in time to the music, and wagging the flute around a little – and I sounded much better.
Fascinating! I got home and tried the same thing with the cello – and it worked! Doing that eye-closing thing, and the little swoops with the shoulders etc – no more strangled warthogs! All the time I’ve wasted sitting there stiff as a board. It’s great!
Next time we get together, I demand to see some air flute action.
yeah, you’ve discovered the secret of all those three-chord rock bands — just sell the moves, make the faces,; it adds so much to the whole experience.
actually, jessica, you already witnessed me playing air flute at that folk instrument shop in london where i tried out the flute and couldn’t find the right embochure and stood there making “whiff-whiff” sounds and moving my fingers.
Ha! Took you this long to find out? It’s a well known secret! ;)
yes! that is how i
learned to play djembe
let the music move me
and just flow like water..:)