It’s About Playing Music!
The goal of an intellectual life is similar to the goal of the artist. Understanding is the goal of the intellectual and understanding happens when “you pass from playing the piano to playing musicâ€.
Bloch observed “the artist chooses the media and the goal of every artist is to become fluent enough with the media to transcend it. At some point you pass from playing the piano to playing music.”
I thought to play the piano you have to play music???
That’s strange. You don’t have to play the violin to play the violin, all you have to do is play the violin. I would know, I play the violin.
I know what you are talking about Chuck. I learned to play piano as a youth. I met the grade VIII requirements of a consevatory but never advanced beyond the level of a good musical mechanic. I learned to play tennis later in life so I never had the opportunity to discover if I could play as instinctively as Roger Federer. I’m just learning to type but already I occasionally find my self typing thoughts without thinking of typing individual letters so maybe there is hope here.
I believe it is possible for all of us to live life without thinking of the mechanics regardless of our intellectual capacities. I call it “real life” to avoid the connotation of “intellectual life”. It requires supreme dedication to that purpose and life long practice. So you had better come up with a convincing reason why we should spend our lives in such an endeavour. Getting by with just the ‘mechanics’ is much more appealing.
There is no understanding in just the mechanics. Therefore, ‘just the mechanics’ is an opportunity for the enemy to disassemble you. Test this theory, find the enemy.
So, you’re basically saying life is or can be a subjective form of art?
DEB says–"to avoid the connotation of “intellectual life”.
What are these connotations that you hesitate to awaken?
Cold, calculated, rigid, systematic, mechanical, esoteric, stuffy, eggheaded, pompous, pre-eminence and generally any impression that inspires “anti-intellectualism”. I would use “spiritual life” if it didn’t have so much religious connotation. So I continue to call what you are talking about “real life” that contains physical, mental and spirit aspects that together provide the possibility of feeling our lives can transcend the mundane. I think Dan’s assessment is worthy of consideration.
Jeffl wrote:
Precisely. However, understanding for the sake of understanding is far less appealing than making money for the sake of making money. Understanding will enable us to get along but it can’t buy any beer. So I still say we have to have a convincing argument for getting along, like the preservation of humanity, or we will continue to party on.
Now you are talking - I am a musician. But I thinking you should change it to “At some point you pass from playing the piano to just playing.”
If you can get lost in it, you’ve got it. =D>
How about transforming emotion into music. That’s what I like to think life can be like. Transforming our essence directly into life without continuing to use a history of written notes.
DEB
We try to do this all the time. However, find an artist with the knowledge and ability to transform music into “feelings” for the listener as opposed to emotion and that will really be art.
Thanks for completing the circle Nick.