The Music as a Piece of Literature

One of the more difficult concepts for many young musicians to grasp is the concept of making your own musical decisions. Sure, we often have dynamics and articulations that are marked in the music to help guide us, but that only scratches the surface. When playing solo literature, it is important to take some liberties to make the piece you own. Sure, you want to keep in mind the composer’s intent and the style, but the piece should not sound like a generic recording. It should be the (insert your name here) edition of the piece. There are a few different ways to develop your own musicality and phrasing. Today, I want to discuss one of the more abstract ways.

When looking at musicality, I often think of the music as a work of literature. Each note is a word. Each phrase is a sentence. Your note names in relation to your fingerings, stickings, or slide positions are your alphabet. Your scales, arpeggios, and technical exercises are your vocabulary. Key signatures are your vocabulary definitions. The work as a whole is a story. If you are unaware of your alphabet or vocabulary, how will you say a sentence or tell the story? You have to know the language of music. Where would you put commas and periods (breathing)? How would the sentence flow, and what words require emphasis (articulation and dynamics)? How do the sentences relate to one another to make the whole story? Are there ways that you can build up your musical story and release tension to make it interesting (crescendos and decrescendos)? Keep this in mind: no one wants to read a monotone, boring story. The same is true with music; no one wants to hear a lackluster performance with no emotion. So, tell an interesting story. Take some musical risks. Make the piece yours. Happy practicing!