Who's the Boss?

On Tuesdays, I get to play for about a dozen students in their vocal coaching classes. Most of the day went really well, but during the second session of three, I was feeling pretty bummed out.

I was playing some fairly fast and difficult songs and -

Well, yes, of course I practiced! A little bit, at least. I’m not always a bad student… *cough*

Now, as I was saying…

I was playing some hard rep and felt like I wasn’t really doing so hot.

As I was reading the page, playing the music, and listening to the singers, I was also berating myself.

“Nope, not groovy. Come on, keep time!”

“Seriously? Didn’t we practice that specifically so this wouldn’t happen?”

“Why’d you mess that up? You never mess that up!”

All in my head, of course. But very distracting, nonetheless!

So I wasn’t particularly looking forward to reviewing the recordings tonight. (I always record and listen back my collaborations with singers: it helps me connect what I feel and hear in the moment with how things actually sound to an outside listener.)

So I queued up the recordings and sat back to listen. (Isn’t '“queue” a funny word?)

And imagine my surprise (and delight!) when I discovered that all the mistakes - things that had seemed so horrific as I was playing - barely registered on the recordings.

Sure, I knew that there was a wrong note here or a missing note there: but, as a listener, the musical effects were largely still in tact. For the most part, I kept great time, and even when a note wasn’t technically “correct”, the dramatic purpose of each scale and chord was still fulfilled.

It’s a lesson that my piano teacher growing up used to recite over and over: Time is the Boss.

And it’s true. If you keep the TIME going steady and play the notes - even wrong notes - with the right CHARACTER (soft/loud, proud/scared, excited/frightened), then, by and large, your musical purpose will be served.

That’s not a free pass to play wrong notes willy-nilly. But it means that, instead of berating ourselves while making our art (like I did), we can focus on the bigger picture: the Story we’re trying to tell with our partner, the Singer.

So! Stay steady, give the very best of yourself, and then…enjoy the ride and let the Boss take care of business.