No. 29 — The humble improve

No. 29 — The humble improve

Today, while we were rehearsing, my companion missed the same passage several times.

After the third attempt, he stared straight at me.

At me.

At his mouthpiece.

As though the whole thing were my fault.

I put on my most innocent mouthpiece face…

But this time, something different happened.

Instead of repeating the passage in exactly the same way, he put down his instrument, listened to what was happening and asked a fellow musician for their opinion.

Sometimes we think that being humble means believing that we play badly or playing down what we know how to do.

But perhaps humility simply means accepting that we still have something to learn.

A musician who thinks they know everything stops listening.

And when they stop listening, they also stop improving.

I am a mouthpiece and I do not have ears…

But even I know how important it is to listen.

And you, how long has it been since you asked someone to listen to you play?

As Wynton Marsalis said:

“The humble improve because they observe and listen. They don’t assume they already know the way.”

Fuente: La cita «The humble improve» aparece documentada en un artículo de NPR publicado por la emisora pública VPM: “The humble improve” — Wynton Marsalis.