The Art of Silence

Silence, the unsung hero of music. We spend lots of time practicing what to play but rarely do we practice "not playing." Just think, if there were no such thing as a rest in music, all the music ever played would still be playing. It is the silence that allows each note to play again.

In this lesson I would like to spend time talking about "silence" and how it pertains to music. Knowing me, I'll probably throw in a few ways of how it pertains to life as well. It is a necessary ingredient to both.

Silence and listening go hand in hand. As teachers, we know that we must listen to the student in order to know best what to teach. As musicians, we must listen to what is happening around us to best know what to play. This takes silencing ourselves long enough to listen.

A famous trumpet player once told me that I have two ears. "One is for you, " he said "the other is for the rest of the band." I had been so focused on what I was doing, concentrating on what to play and thinking so much that I hadn't stopped long enough to listen to what was going on around me. Once I quieted myself long enough to do just that, the right bass part for me to play became obvious.

How is it that as the great musicians get older, they seem to play more music with fewer notes? Is it because they can't play fast any more? I don't think so. They have learned the art of silence or space. They realize that rests are notes, that they can be used to bring the listener in and that a strategically placed rest can make a group of wrong notes sound right. Miles Davis was a master at this. He would make you sit on the edge of your seat waiting for his next note. He knew what he was doing.

Before each concert, Andrea Segovia, a great classical guitarist, used to finger the air, as if he were actually playing , to quiet the audience and make them listen closer. Then he would start playing.

A rest can also be used to jolt the listener just like an accent does. Here's one example of how to do it. In the middle of a solo try playing a familiar line such as "pop goes the weasel" but leave off the familiar "POP" at the end. It can make the listener feel as if his heart has skipped a beat.

The next time that you listen to a great musician, take notice of when he or she doesn't play. Notice how they use the space. Many great soloists will let a few beats or even a few measures go by before they start their solo. This pause will make the listener take notice even if he is deep in conversation, as most people are during bass solos.

It has been said that you teach what you most need to learn. In this case it is definitely true. I am in need of reading my own lesson. "Space" in my playing is one of the things that I need to work on the most. Since music and life are one in the same to me, it is like saying that space in my life also needs working on. So, I will do just that.

"If you reread the lesson that I wrote for BP ("Learning from Yourself " Feb. 97) and combine it with this one, you will have my most valuable methods of learning.

'Till next time, take care and remember to stop and listen to the roses. Oh yeah, the most important thing is…..

peace, vic