Full Circle

          People in professional fields, whether it's music or mud wrestling, should be advocates of their art. I don't think I can be an exception to that, but starting a blog, I've found, is rather challenging. There are so many blogs about so many different things out there, and finding my personal niche hasn't been easy. After long thoughts in the shower, in traffic, and in general boredom, I've decided to start this blog to discuss my daily feelings about the music around me, about me, and about us all. 
          So much about me as a musician and a person centers around the idea of there being a place for everything. If you know me personally, you've probably heard me say that I like both hot dogs and filet mignon, and that those two things (and everything in between) have a place in my life. I truly believe this to be the case for me, and not only about food! Life is about experience; coming into contact with different foods, people, genres of music, places, things, etc. seed the depth of life experience, and I believe that the more life experience one has, the better musician (and music lover) he/she can be. How can you perform and understand Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" if you've never experienced both the warmth of the sun on the first day of spring, and the frigid wind of a winter night? Can you accurately portray John Mackey's "Redline Tango" if you've never seen the busy streets of New York City at rush hour?  Maybe you can, but I think it adds a level of depth to the music if you can attach knowledge and experience to it. What does Ke$ha's "Tik Tok" mean to the person who's never been clubbing? (I plan on having a lot of this deal with non-classical music, by the way).
          Of course, no one has been there and done it all (if you have, I'd love to meet you and add that conversation to my life experience), but adding limitations to our lives doesn't help. Life throws out so many limitations for us automatically, so doing the little things to open other doors can offset that. I tie this in with music by exposing myself to different genres as often as I can - especially outside of classical music! Listening to different sorts of things makes me think more about where I am, and where we all are as people. Sometimes it's good, and sometimes it's bad, but it's all life experience. 
          I can't, however, have a blog as a bassoonist that doesn't mention the occasional difficult orchestral excerpt or solo - I know, buzz kill. So check back often and add me to your life experience as I try out blogging in an effort to give my perspective on life through music, and music through life! It's all full circle.

Listening to: Mahler Symphony No. 2 - South West German Radio Symphony Orchestra