Musical phrasing and interpretation are affected by the way the instrumentalist moves. It often marks the difference between cold, dead music-making and compelling, electrifying results.
A lot of dynamic effect can be achieved with a very efficient and slight movement, as when a hammered dulcimer player uses mostly his fingers to flip the hammers in just the right way, with shoulders and elbows moving the hammers to the note locations.
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Throughout a lifetime of listening to Classical music and making my own music in a broad variety of genres, I've come to the conclusion that there are two primary approaches to how the performer relates to the music.
One is experiential: the musician takes the music as it comes to him or her and purposely cultivates an active experience of response to it, living in the present and developing a unique personal event associated with the amazing original art coming out from the page.
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Although these three quotes are all from Classical performers, I think they apply to any genre of music and indeed to many roles in life!
This is an element of my own view of musicianship, as articulated by three of my favorite players. By the way, it's an honor to the Jewish people that all four of these guys are of that lineage (as are many other great musicians).
...[photo: Serkin & Szell]
One of the ultimate forms in the Classical genre is the piano concerto, to which I have listened for my entire life with keen interest and involvement. As a hammered dulcimer player, I find particular inspiration in the great concertos, and I try to somehow transmute that mode to my playing with other musicians, even though it’s in a vastly different setting. (Or is it?)
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Most hammered dulcimer players seem to prefer using the bare wooden surfaces of hammers to get a clear, brilliant sound, and occasionally the suede side can add a soft sound for contrast.
My personal taste says that the suede side of a double-sided hammer has more potential than merely making a soft or mysterious sound, but, like a piano, it can express a full range of tone as the player articulates phrases using dramatic body language.
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