An ongoing accounting of some of my most memorable Bluegrass jams and other information about Bluegrass music in general.
The Importance of Integration
Posted 07-03-2011 at 06:40 PM by Fiddliferous
A musician is said to be a person who is skilled in music; especially someone who is a professional performer, orchestral conductor or composer. A person thought to be "musical" is one who is sensitive to, or again, skilled in music. Music itself is defined broadly as the art and science of combining vocal or instrumental tones in varying melodic, rhythmic and harmonic forms and especially in a manner that forms a structurally complete and emotionally expressive composition.
So then, "musicianship" might well be: 'of or relating to the professionalism of performing music'. Assuming this to be a correctly reasoned definition, it seems logical that certain preconditions would apply to the performing of music in order to attain higher degrees of musicianship.
Have you ever been in a bluegrass jam session and after what seemed an endless and tiring attempt, eventually felt unable to attain the optimum experience of "flow" even though all the musicians participating were skilled?
Integration in a jam session guarantees that what happens to one musician will affect all others. Even though each musician has individually maximized their personal musical skills and chosen individualized pathways through the jam tune, each musician is working as a part of a greater whole. This is the key to an optimum musical experience. When a musician has learned to integrate and become one with the loving energy that is flowing through the music being played, he or she has attained the level so many other "musicians" - even highly trained - may never know and experience. Accepting the traditional form of jamming without integration becomes at times both boring and frustrating. Without integration there is little enthusiasm or happiness and the group will soon break up as the more musical types recognize the wasted time and energies in inner turmoil. How many times have you witnessed a perfectly good jam session go the way of the Woolly Mammoth just because a certain individual showed up and decided to "take over"?
Many musicians are laden with preconceived notions about dominance over other musicians. They're typically easy to spot: they continue to play loudly over the top of the vocalists who are harmonizing, or take their breaks while others are taking theirs, or slap their bass through the entire tune. But is this type of psychic energy what "professional" musicians want in their jams or musical groups? It's not easy for these types to develop appropriate skills but when one properly confronts the necessary challenges he/she can become an active part of a group and fully integrate. Such inner congruence eventually will lead to an inner strength and seasoned serenity that becomes contagious to other musicians in the group.
So then, "musicianship" might well be: 'of or relating to the professionalism of performing music'. Assuming this to be a correctly reasoned definition, it seems logical that certain preconditions would apply to the performing of music in order to attain higher degrees of musicianship.
Have you ever been in a bluegrass jam session and after what seemed an endless and tiring attempt, eventually felt unable to attain the optimum experience of "flow" even though all the musicians participating were skilled?
Integration in a jam session guarantees that what happens to one musician will affect all others. Even though each musician has individually maximized their personal musical skills and chosen individualized pathways through the jam tune, each musician is working as a part of a greater whole. This is the key to an optimum musical experience. When a musician has learned to integrate and become one with the loving energy that is flowing through the music being played, he or she has attained the level so many other "musicians" - even highly trained - may never know and experience. Accepting the traditional form of jamming without integration becomes at times both boring and frustrating. Without integration there is little enthusiasm or happiness and the group will soon break up as the more musical types recognize the wasted time and energies in inner turmoil. How many times have you witnessed a perfectly good jam session go the way of the Woolly Mammoth just because a certain individual showed up and decided to "take over"?
Many musicians are laden with preconceived notions about dominance over other musicians. They're typically easy to spot: they continue to play loudly over the top of the vocalists who are harmonizing, or take their breaks while others are taking theirs, or slap their bass through the entire tune. But is this type of psychic energy what "professional" musicians want in their jams or musical groups? It's not easy for these types to develop appropriate skills but when one properly confronts the necessary challenges he/she can become an active part of a group and fully integrate. Such inner congruence eventually will lead to an inner strength and seasoned serenity that becomes contagious to other musicians in the group.
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