English below☟
Titel: The Inner Game of Music
Forfatter: Barry Green og Timothy Gallwey
År: 1986
Forlag: Doubleday Books
Sprog: Engelsk
Sider: 225
Denne bog er baseret på Gallweys succesfulde titel, ”The Inner Game of Tennis”. Green, en bassist, læste bogen og tog efterfølgende kontakt til Gallwey – han mente, at man kunne bruge nogle af de samme principper, men bare med en musisk tilgang. Efter han personligt har forsøgt samt undervist i de samme principper som beskrevet i ”The Inner Game of Tennis”, skrev han denne bog 3 år senere.
”We are playing the Inner Game every day, whether we’re aware of it or not, and winning or losing it every moment.” – Tim Gallwey
Som i måske har gættet jer frem til i titlen, beskriver bogen de tanker, man gør sig omkring ens spil, øvning og performance. Der bliver især lagt fokus på den ”støj” og forstyrrelse i vores hoveder, når vi spiller, som forhindrer os i at nyde musikken og fokusere på, hvad der rent faktisk kommer ud af vores instrument. Green kommer ind på vigtige emner som bl.a. forhindringer, koncentration og nervøsitet samt giver den artistiske performance en helt ny dimension.
“Our musical challenge is to imagine that we always have a second chance—to give ourselves permission to fail.” – Green Barry
Da jeg startede med at læse bogen, blev jeg lynhurtigt suget ned i hans univers af viden, formularer og oplevelser. Jeg synes, bogen var fyldt med inspiration og gode idéer, som jeg gerne ville prøve. Den appellerer til enhver musiker – studerende som lærer, eftersom han både kommer med inputs til hvordan du selv bliver en bedre musiker, men også med henblik på, hvordan du kan undervise på en anden måde end den ”traditionelle”.
“The only way I have of knowing I’ve done a really remarkable performance is when I lose my ego completely and become the composer. I have the feeling that I’m creating the piece, writing the piece on stage, just click, click, click, making it up as I go, along with those hundred people who are also making it up with me.” – Leonard Bernstein
Men når det er sagt, kan det dog også hurtigt blive for meget af det gode – dels fordi man mister overblikket og koncentrationen, hvis man læser for mange kapitler i træk, men også fordi jeg fik en følelse af, at han kunne have sagt det mest essentielle i løbet af 50 sider. Derudover kan man godt have en tendens til at tro, at bogen kun er skrevet for klassiske musikere – især når han begynder at snakke om teknikker samt filosofien bag. Men ærligt talt, så er idéerne ligeså brugbare for rytmiske som folkemusikere – enhver musiker burde virkelig skaffe bogen, læse 1-2 kapitler dagligt og blive inspireret til en ny tankegang under sit spil!
Hvis du er interesseret i at læse bogen, kan den købes her.
Review: The Inner Game of Music
Title: The Inner Game of Music
Author: Barry Green and Timothy Gallwey
Year: 1986
Publisher: Doubleday Books
Language: English
Page: 225
This book is based on Gallwey’s successful title “The inner Game of Tennis”. Green, a bassist, read the book and contacted Gallwey – he wanted to co-write a version tailored for musicians. Green decided to live with- and teach the principles. 3 years later, he wrote the book.
”We are playing the Inner Game every day, whether we’re aware of it or not, and winning or losing it every moments.” – Tim Gallwey
As you might have guessed, the book is about how the thoughts in your head while playing, practicing or performing music. The main focus in on the “noise” and distractions while playing that disrupt our ability to perform at our best. Green talks about important matters, such as how to overcome obstacles, improve concentration and reduce nervousness – allowing them to reach new levels of performing excellence and musical artistry.
“Our musical challenge is to imagine that we always have a second chance—to give ourselves permission to fail.”
– Green Barry
When I started to read the book, I was quickly attracted to his universe of science, formulas and experiences. In my opinion, this book was filled with inspiration and great ideas that I want to try. It definitely appeals to every musician – students as teachers, since he gives a lot of useful tips and ways to both play music and teach it, so it gets better long-term results.
“The only way I have of knowing I’ve done a really remarkable performance is when I lose my ego completely and become the composer. I have the feeling that I’m creating the piece, writing the piece on stage, just click, click, click, making it up as I go, along with those hundred people who are also making it up with me.” – Leonard Bernstein
Having said that, it can also be a bit too overwhelming – you tend to lose the overview and concentration if you read several chapters at once. Also, I had a feeling that the entire book easily could have been condensed to about 50 pages. In addition to that, one could think that the book is only written to classical musicians – especially when he talks about the techniques and philosophy behind. But to be honest, the ideas are as useful for rhythmical as folk music musicians. Every musician should own the book, read 1-2 chapters per day and be inspired to a new way of thinking while playing!
If you are interested, you can find it here.
