Can Musicality be Taught?

 

We often refer to someone who plays (or sings) very well as "talented." If they play in a way which emotionally affects the listener, which moves them, perhaps, the player or singer may be said to be "musical." What does that actually mean?

A pianist, for example, could be quite accomplished and have impressive technique. But if their playing doesn't affect people emotionally, it might be said that the pianist isn't as "musical" as one would hope. Conversely, someone might not have a big technique, and play mostly simpler pieces, but could still play them in a way which the listeners find moving.

To be "musical" means to have a high degree of sensitivity to, and awareness of, the subtleties and "inner workings" of music. They hear nuances that the average person does not. These nuances affect the person playing very deeply, and, as such, they can also project those nuances so the listener can be made aware of them as well.

We've probably all heard someone who plays without musicality. It just sounds rote, even robotic, and uninteresting. The person is playing "the notes" but doesn not seem to go any deeper than that. Unfortunately, many teachers are happy if their students can just play the notes and rhythm, and don't encourage the student to reach deeper. They might just say that student just isn't "talented" that way.

We often assume that one is just born with that intangible quality of musicality, or not. I agree that people seem to be "born" with differing levels of musical sensitivity, but nevertheless, regardless of how much you have to start out, I believe you can improve in your musicality.

Over the years I have taught hundreds of beginners. While there are a small number who play with a lot of feeling right away, I have found that most do not. They are so absorbed in learning the many skills and the advanced coordination needed to play the piano that the musicality just doesn't happen. Many even believe that it is a good idea to just learn "the notes" first and put "the feeling" in later. Some so-called experts will tell you this is what you need to do. However, I disagree with that. If you don't start right away incorporating musical expression in your playing, you may never actually do it.

I find that the key to getting students to play musically is to make it more physical. That seems like a contradiction, doesn't it? The word emotion has the word motion in it. When you hear beautiful music, you may find you want to move your body to it, even in subtle ways. You probably don't want to sit as stock-still as a soldier! So when you play music, you also need to move. That doesn't mean you have to wave your arms wildly around. You will see some pianists do a lot of movements, which in fact, may not add to the musicality, but have just become a habit for that pianist. But likewise you never see a great pianist who just sits rigidly. I find that as soon as I can get my student to get their torso involved, their playing will be better. There is a feeling of wanting to "lean in" to the music.

For some students, I ask them to imagine how they would dance to the piece they are playing. For others, a visual image may be helpful. (I do not do a lot with visual imagery, because most music is intended to be just "what it is" and not a representation of something visual.) I ask them to imagine they are "speaking" to someone they love through the music. Whatever works, the student usually needs to be reminded to fully engage with the music emotionally. This needs to become the norm for them, not the exception. The more they engage, the more the music will effect them, which in turn will make them more engaged, and so on, in a self-perpetuating cycle. Like anything else, you must actually DO IT, if you want to play more musically. You can't be saving it for some time in the future.

I can't tell you how to respond emotionally to a given piece of music. That is up to you. As a teacher, I can help you develop the tools -- that is, the technique -- to say what you want to say with your music. But you must have something to say. You must bring the whole of your life's experience -- your joys and sorrows, triumphs and heartbreaks -- into your playing.