joyful!

 "There are three signs of old age: loss of memory ... I forget the other two."

Red Skelton

When the Audience is Ready

by

Brian Charles

Grace happens. So the bumper stickers promise us.

It’s not something you can quest for — the closer you get to what seems like grace, the further it appears to recede. Grace comes to you. You have to be patient, you have to be present, and you have to be willing to witness its existence. Grace in music is found between the notes. It is not the sounds themselves, but the place between the previous note and the next note. Each little gap offers a magical little cubby hole into which you can peer for a brief moment. Most people don’t even notice that it’s there.

I often tell my students to “play between the notes,” which they know to mean that when you intentionally leave one note and strive to arrive at the next, you can fill the in-between space with meaning and intention. That’s what gives the groove its juice and deepens a piece of music to its core. The journey between two notes offers spectacular promise: adventurous diversion from what you think is your goal to a path you never imagined, but now can’t imagine living without. All the while, remember that you cannot fill this space. It’s already full. What you can do is try to witness the content and be willing to be changed by what you find.

The moment comes when the silence becomes the destination and you disappear into the gap between two notes. Entry to that rarified and magical space is not reserved for the few. It’s what music making offers to every player and listener. At every
achievement level, you have the opportunity to examine and live in and be changed by the space between the sounds.

Ultimately, I guess that grace is whatever you decide it is. You decide if you want to bother with it. To you maybe it’s God, or luck, or the Buddha, or a can of tomato soup. I don’t think grace cares. It just is.

I have this talent for making music that’s interesting to listen to. The truth is that while you’re listening to me play, I am trying to be as open as possible to the magic that lies in the grace space between the notes. When I’m open, when the audience is ready — grace happens.