Exploring Your Musical Heritage: A Journey Inspired by Wynton Marsalis

Someone playing jazz like Marsalis might listen to the greats such as Louis Armstrong or Duke Ellington

I feel like a lot of the fundamental material, I’ve assimilated. So now the question is: Am I going to really get into my spiritual inheritance of music and really develop my abilities?

Wynton Marsalis


Someone playing jazz like Marsalis might listen to the greats such as Louis Armstrong or Duke Ellington, feeling how their music is full of life and stories. This inspiration leads them to not only play notes, but to tell a story with those notes, diving into the spiritual side of their craft.



   

Meaning of Quote – I feel like a lot of the fundamental material, I’ve assimilated. So now the question is: Am I going to really get into my spiritual inheritance of music and really develop my abilities?

Wynton Marsalis, a renowned jazz musician, once said, “I feel like a lot of the fundamental material, I’ve assimilated. So now the question is: Am I going to really get into my spiritual inheritance of music and really develop my abilities?” This quote is loaded with inspiration and depth, pointing towards an artist’s journey not just through practice and knowledge, but into the soul of their craft.

When we think of learning music or any other skill, we often start with the basics. These are the fundamental materials that Wynton Marsalis is talking about. For music, that means learning notes, scales, chords, and melodies. We repeat them, we practice them, until they become second nature. Just like when you’re learning to ride a bike, you start with training wheels. With music, these fundamental materials are your training wheels.

Now, imagine after a while, you’ve learned to ride that bike pretty well. You can pedal down the street without falling, even turn corners and go up and down hills. It’s a lot like how Marsalis felt when he said he’d assimilated the fundamental material. He had learned the language of music so well that he could ‘speak’ it without even thinking.

But here’s where Marsalis’ thoughts take us deeper. What comes after mastering the basic stuff? Can you just keep riding your bike around the block, or do you want to explore new places? Marsalis challenges himself and us to explore ‘spiritual inheritance.’ Now, this might sound a bit fancy, but it’s actually a beautiful and exciting idea.

Think about where music comes from. It’s not just about notes on a page or fingers on an instrument. It’s about expression, emotion, and connection. It’s about telling a story, sharing a feeling, or just making someone tap their foot and smile. This is the spiritual side of music. It’s the heartbeat of why we make music in the first place.

Your spiritual inheritance in music is all about diving into that deeper meaning. It’s about connecting with the people who made music before you, feeling the rhythm they felt, learning the stories behind the songs. Every piece of music has a history, a soul, a story that it wants to tell. When we learn about these, we’re not just getting better at an instrument; we’re becoming a part of something much bigger – a long line of musicians who have shared their hearts with the world.

   

Developing abilities, as Marsalis mentions, goes beyond just playing music correctly. It’s about feeling the music deeply and expressing that feeling through your instrument. It’s like when you’re telling your best friend a secret. You don’t just say the words; you pour your feelings into them. That kind of connection and expression is what takes a musician from being good to being great.

For Marsalis, and for anyone who dives deep into their passion, the goal is to really ‘get into’ that spiritual side of what they’re doing. And this isn’t unique to music. Whatever you love to do, there’s a rich heritage and depth to explore. Whether you’re a painter, a writer, a chef, or a scientist, there’s always more to learn, more to feel, and more to express.

Now, let’s look at how you might do this. It involves some exploring and lots of curiosity. If you love music, you might start by listening to the musicians who came before you. Someone playing jazz like Marsalis might listen to greats like Louis Armstrong or Duke Ellington. They might feel how their music is full of life and stories. It might inspire them to not only play notes but to tell a story with those notes.

It’s also about practice, but a different kind. It’s about practicing not just your scales but also your connection to the music. You might close your eyes and think about what a song means to you. What colors do you see? What pictures come to your mind? Then you try to make your playing reflect that picture, that feeling.

And remember, exploring your spiritual inheritance isn’t something you do alone. You talk to teachers, to friends who also love music, to your family. You share what you’re learning and feeling. You listen to what they have to say. Art, including music, is so much about sharing and learning from each other, just like how you might work on school projects together or share games you love to play.

Finally, think about your own story and how it fits into this. Your life, your experiences, have a huge impact on how you see the world and how you express yourself. When you bring that personal touch into your music or any activity, that’s when you really start to shine.

So, following Marsalis’s words, it’s clear that mastering a skill is a step, but then going beyond to connect with and contribute to its spiritual heritage is a lifelong and fulfilling journey. It’s about combining your hard-worked-for talents with the stories, emotions, and experiences that make you – and the craft you love – truly unique. And isn’t that an exciting thought? The journey is not just about learning things by heart, but also about putting your heart into everything you learn.

   

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