Many of us are fortunate to have someone in our lives to teach us how to do — whatever we do — with passion. For me, this person was my grandfather. An engraver by profession, a gardener and fisherman by hobby, Grandpa Joe performed these and other roles with as much fire, energy, and joy as a man possibly could. Even the stories he used to tell me of old fishing adventures were told and retold with as much passion as with which they were lived.
This is an interesting way of living for an old man to have. Passion is usually what we experience as children when, for example, we take up music because we really want to play, and not because we want to earn money or impress others. My grandfather’s life taught me that it is possible to keep on doing what we love for our entire lifetime because, above all else, we love it.
I’ve had my share of working with musicians who simply play — with about as much enthusiasm as a mill worker — satisfied that their music is correct and nothing more. “The thrill is gone,” their faces say. “I’ve been doing this too long ... just give me my check and let me go home.” To them, music has become drudgery — a chore and nothing more — because they let it.
I’m also privileged to have played beside musicians who just ooze passion. It’s on their faces and in their notes. They move their audience and they inspire their colleagues with genuine, infectious enthusiasm. Even in rehearsal and in their own practice the passion is there. They play with the joy of a child and with the artistry of someone who truly loves what they do.
Passion is a great thing to bring to a performance for the benefit of everyone in the room. But don’t let it stop there. Even the most uninspiring warm-up exercises will sound better when you’re fully into them and not just doing them because you think you should. Don’t wait for inspiration to come your way courtesy of your favorite songs. Inspire yourself. Then, even warm ups will become a joy to play. And you’ll play them better than ever.
Getting “into it” may not always be easy but it beats being bored.
Playing our music with passion serves one other purpose besides enriching the lives of those who hear it and improving how well we play it in the first place. It is the means by which we get through the difficult days of our musical lives. When you’re hit with a slump, which all musicians are from time to time (see Chapter 87: Slumps Happen), hurtful criticism, or any other obstacle, it is this “passion thing” that will get you through to the other side. No other form of motivation — money, discipline, fame, or whatever — is likely to keep you going when things are at their worst.
Do it for all these reasons. Play with passion for your technique, your fulfillment, your joy, and for the joy of your audience. And do it for your grandkids, for the day when they ask you for stories.
“If there is no passion in your life, then have you really lived? Find your passion, whatever it may be. Become it, and let it become you and you will find great things happen FOR you, TO you and BECAUSE of you.”
T. Alan Armstrong
If you enjoyed this post, please get a copy of my book "GETTING GOOD, GETTING GREAT: What the Best Players Know" for many, many more informative and inspiring kernels of musicianly wisdom.
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