All the points mentioned below assume you have got a true master. I’ll soon be writing part 2 on the key characteristics/signs of a true master. You can read part 1 – Blog 124 – The Power of a Master’s Presence.
- Devotion. I’ve already mentioned this in the blog 68: One thing that distinguishes excellent students. Devotion towards the Craft & the Master. There are various ways you can go about building devotion towards both separately, but most of the time, it is intertwined. So here are a few pointers that can help:
- Devotion starts with trust. Trust the process and the steps guided by the master. By doing so, not only does it install devotion but it eradicates doubts in the minds of the students. “If master said it is possible, it is possible. All I have to do is practice as per his guidance”.
- Know more about the master. To will obviously be very helpful in trusting the Master. And when you know that your master has already done/accomplished what to you feels like magic, then that’s it, one of the seeds of devotion (inspiration) is installed. And if a student is already inspired by the master, studying the master & his works leads to further development of devotion. And it can obviously provide invaluable insights about the nature of the craft itself.
- Listen & Build taste. But to know what level of mastery your master has attained, you’ll need to be exposed to the art enough. And that’s where listening & building taste comes into the picture. Of course, not just that, listening & building taste will automatically build devotion towards the craft too, as its expansive and profoundness is revealed to you.
- Longevity. I’ve already discussed this. Read the Blog 120: The Second key for life-long learning students.
- Grit ( Patience + perseverance). Sometimes, all you’ve got to do is be patient & continue to practice through what feels like a plateau in your learning journey.
- Interest & skill on time graph. A true master knows this. He’ll ensure the student masters the current lesson & moves to the next lesson before he looses interest. Sometimes, even when the current lesson is not mastered, the master suggests moving ahead. It’s because of this. Only if you a student is invested all-in, will he/she be able to accomplish anything here. And for that, he/she be interested in the learning process. Naturally, our brains loose interest in anything if it takes too long to provide benefits. Students can use strategies like revision & upskilling of the fundamentals, and intense practice days to overcome the ghost of disinterest.
- Everything matters, but..practice matters more than all.
- Age – Yes age matters. Kids have high grasping power, all know that. But we must also acknowledge that we adults have learned to learn. We know how we learn, which will be unique to every individual. One can use the same frameworks & methodologies that work for them. And moreover, the ability of little kids to be ableto quickly move through lessons should not only be credited to high grasping power, it is also because they have the freedom if willing, to give the amount of time & energy required to do that. Hence, regardless of your age, practice more.
- The ability to sing in relative pitch helps. But that’s not a mission impossible. With proper guidance, within 3 months, you too can sing in relative pitch. Like I always tell my students, everyone has pitch recognition, it’s pitch memory they are lacking. So, all one has to do is give enough data to the brain to form the memory of the pitches. In other words, practice more. Here, vocals too.
- Musical background of the family. Yes, it’ll help if you are born in a musical environment. But what does it suggest? It suggests the importance of exposure & contagiousness of Practice itself. So what should a student who’s not born into a musical family do? Listen & Practice more. If possible try to be in such environments that actively or passively push you to listen & practice more.
- Varna. This might sound insensitive, but it’s actually simple when you see it objectively. When you notice the data of musicians of the history & their ‘Varna’, you must think how. By the way, Varna is not what you are born to, it’s based on your actions & work. More than any other form of classical music, Carnatic music is intertwined with spirituality. Carnatic music is a branch of Sanāthana Dharma. Like the tree itself, the branch is also seen as a means to the divine/the self/the ultimate. Most compositions (not just one or two. In thousands) are based on Bhakthi/devotion towards a particular deity. One simple example would be how in the “Hindu” tradition, especially in Brāhmin families, whenever there is an auspicious day/festival, after or amidst the spiritual rituals, a song/s on that particular deity is usually recited by individuals one after the other or together in a group. What does this provide to a student? An apt environment & opportunity to present what you know, where you’ll realize if you know it or not, among the audience who are not actuallyworried about how one sings/performs because everyone’s minds will be focused & filled with the divine. I realize this topic is too huge to address here, so I’ll not continue. So what must a student do regardless of their Varna? Practice more. Utilize spirituality for music, and music for spirituality.
- Any other relevant point? Yes, that matters too. Practice more.
- Frameworks of learning. Articulation of what you know is very important. It brings clarity and thereby shows us the edge of what we know and through it gives us the opportunity to know and find the pieces that fit beyond our existing knowledge. Learning through frameworks (A true master provides them for sure) is important but also is creating your own frameworks & methodologies especially if what the master has provided has not seeped into you yet.
- Being mindful & Integrating all that is being consumed. How much you guard your mind, that much better your music gets, especially in the initial days (first 3 years). Focus completely on getting better at your craft. So I suggest completely avoiding using social media for the first few years. Then on too, use it only to share your art, not to consume too much or mindlessly. A blog dedicated completely to brain performance optimization will soon be live. For now, what you can take away from this point is:
- Ensure your time and energy are being utilized effectively towards learning the craft
- Stay away from destructive thoughts, emotions & habits.
Thank You
sanathkumarbharadwaj@gmail.com
