I will never become an extremely skilled guitarist or pianist and I truly am at peace with this reality. When one masters an instrument it is quite obvious, even to those who aren’t musicians. To master something takes years, decades or even a lifetime to accomplish. Playing musical instruments brings great joy to me but my skills are flimsy next to those who have dedicated their lives to theory and technique.
Since I am operating in a musical world without rules I am gifted with a certain freedom like existing in a space without walls, floors or ceilings. This freedom brings both unique and highly creative outcomes, and then also some sloppy and unrefined musical monsters. The more I live in this me-made world, however, the more I am able to tame it.
My mother often told me that I needed to first learn the rules before I could break them. This is very good advice that I tip-toed past without waking. Masters and dabblers are far on either end of this spectrum. I float somewhere in the hazy in-between where the rules and limitations are ignored… so results may vary.
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