Along the way I came across a musician named Victor Wooten. Many bass players already know him-- as one friend explained to me, "he is to the bass, what Carlos Santana is to the guitar." I first became aware of Wooten through his book, "The Music Lesson: A Spiritual Search For Growth Through Music." Then, as if a guardian angel was paying attention to my musical journey, I received this TedTalk video through Facebook of Victor Wooten describing music as a language.
Here are a few excerpts from the video. Consider these ideas yourself and how you might integrate them into your life-- musical, or otherwise:
"Although many musicians agree that music is a language, it is rarely treated as such. Many of us treat it as something that can only be learned by following a strict regimen, under the tutelage of a skilled teacher..."
"Think about the first language you learned as a child. More importantly, think about how you learned it. You were a baby when you first started speaking, and even through you spoke the language incorrectly, you were allowed to make mistakes. And the more mistakes you made the more your parents smiled.
Learning to speak was not something you were went somewhere to do only a few times a week. And the majority of the people you spoke to were not beginners. They were already proficient speakers. Imagine your parents forcing you to only speak to other babies until you were good enough to speak to them. You would probably be an adult before you could carry on a conversation with them.
To use a musical term, as a baby you were allowed to jam with professionals. If we approach music in the same natural way we approacehed our first language we will learn to speak it in the same short time it took to speak our first language."
I've often been told the best way to learn is to surround yourself with those who are more proficient. It is similar to the emersion courses where you, the beginner, are surrounded by people only speaking French. Eventually, you begin to adapt and learn the language. I don't think Victor is saying that music teachers are bad-- they have their place. Consider other perspectives. Try to surround yourself with more proficient musicians and learn from them. Don't be worried about making mistakes. Just get out there and play. The more you play, the more you will want to practice. Before long you will be able to express yourself through your instrument. As Victor puts it,
"Music comes from the musician, not the instrument."
Stay tuned, and in-tune~
