Life Force. Energy. Flow. The interconnectedness of all.  In music, this is something that is found within, and takes on a type of formlessness when it is outputted in performance. This is why nothing can ever take the place of live performance. The energy that is created and exerted upon delivery and execution of a passage of music can not be experienced in the same way as listening to that same passage on a recording.

As I work up a concerto, the more I practice a composition, the more I become the composition.. Or, perhaps, it becomes me. This is a phenomenon that I can’t fully put into words because it is more of an experience that a subject. What I can tell you is that the only way this happens is by getting to know a piece of music inside out, and letting that piece inside of you–without an end point. It’s no longer me playing a piece, it’s the piece playing through me. This can be experienced with any task in life, really. The only real method of accomplishing this though, is through true, focused, disciplined practice. Once you find that energy within, all things are possible.

These are some thoughts I’ve had while working on Kevin Puts’ Marimba Concerto over the past few months. Hour upon hour, the music on the page does not change. But, each time I play the notes, there is something different. Something more. It happens when the notes are no longer seen, but felt. The music is internalized and transformed within.

Kevin Puts’ music is always artistically fulfilling and rewarding to practice and perform. I hope you will come and share the experience with me next month.

Here are some details on the concert: http://westmorelandsymphony.org/concerts/old-and-new-worlds-april-21/