Honour the Sacredness of Your Sound and Your Practice

We must all learn to slow down and honour the sacredness of the sound we create; that’s what playing this instrument is all about. I was reiterating this to a student yesterday:

“I don’t want you to feel a sense of dread or unhappiness in the instrument when you play. Be proud that you carved out the time to be with music, and to be with yourself.”

One of my jazz drumming heroes Art Blakey said it best: “Music washes away the dust of everyday life.” We don’t always need to learn all the patterns, all the shortcuts and flashy ways of playing. We need to develop our own style but more importantly our own relationship to the instrument. This comes from slow playing, repetition, a more meditative style of playing where the sound you create is deeply unique. Slow down and see how much life you can draw out of 1 or 2 notes.

This is the mindset I had during my first ever handpan concert in the opening improvisation - Open Your Eyes - inspired by the imagery of a newborn child entering the world for the first time.

We can find our most expressive and creative selves when we look within.

Thanks to master handpan musician and handpan artist Kabecao for the inspiration behind this post :-)

Credit:
Photography by Danny McShane Photography