The goal of practicing is to achieve a freedom of the mind that enables one to physically do whatever they want to do. Careful practicing eventually allows one the freedom to be spontaneous, to react onstage to the moment.
Yo-Yo Ma
Some practice inspiration for you today.
This quote by cellist Yo-Yo Ma came up last week in one of my adult student’s lessons. We were discussing that learning the notes is only one stage of mastering a new piece.
My student wanted to move beyond the written page and have that “freedom to be spontaneous” and to play the music instead. They didn’t want to be constrained by reading the ‘instructions’. It was only by knowing the score really well that they could take their playing to the next level and really perform it from the heart.
I was impressed that they had made the realisation Yo-Yo Ma refers to in the quote themselves. They went away with a new found appreciation of how to improve their performance.
What are your thoughts on this quote?
