When I think about how I do music, the idea of intention comes to the fore. The motivation with which we approach (in the first instance) selecting and then articulating a piece of music, can over time engender an oddly assuasive effect. From this perspective, the question arises:

“Why do we choose to study and play the music we do?”

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Here’s an example. Drawing from Idea 10 (2022) by the young composer Gibran Alcocer, the same notation can be interpreted differently, depending on one’s intention. One version can be uplifting; inspiring happiness, optimism, joy, and even hope. Another can reassure and soothe. Irrespective of difficulty, in any piece of music in terms of its performance, there’s more involved in the doing than just playing at a different speed.

Playing Idea 10 on the piano for me has emerged as a form of physical active meditation. Like practicing sādhanā and the complex of disciplines doing so involves, I can work my way through this notational script over and over again, and never get bored. Doing so energises and enlivens the body and sometimes can even wake up a foggy mind! Such practice/s can also bring joy to one’s heart. Maybe that’s why Idea 10 has become so popular. I’d like to thank Gibran for allowing other musicians to personalise his beautiful composition, especially its eloquent melodies. And so here, another question arises, and a consideration I now hand over to you …

“When you listen to, or play this piece, what does it do, or not do, for you?”

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End of transcript.

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