Saturday, July 4, 2009

How to develop musical creativity

A student asked me this question the other day, some of my thoughts:

1. Develop, maintain, and nurture your technical skills
2. Become physically fit
3. Practice being creative
4. Go to library and pick 10 cds at random, listen and ask yourself, “What is going on here?”
5. Keep practicing
6. Go to the art gallery, look and ask yourself, “What is going on here?”
7. If you are a jazz musician go to a country and western concert, if you are a classical musician go to a rap concert.
8. Balance your life, free up some mental space
9. Keep practicing
10. Play with others
11. Learn to improvise
12. If you are a jazz musician take some classical lessons, if you are a classical musician take some jazz lessons.
13. Carry a note book and pen with you, jot down your ideas
14. Take a walk in nature
15. Keep practicing
16. Hang out with creative people
17. Turn off the electronics
18. Read books on creativity
19. Find a mentor
20. Keep practicing
In short, creativity is a function of technical skill meeting a balanced and fertile mind.
http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Improvisation-Its-Nature-Practice-Music-Derek-Bailey/9780306805288-item.html?ref=Search+Books%3a+%2527music+practice%2527

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