Liad Bar-EL

Just received this message from a friend and I thought it would be good to share it with you all on TM.

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I am writing this post in defense of our musical individuality as trumpet playing musicians...I feel as though we as musicians are being made less human by the encroachment of hi-tech science and mechanization confronting us daily.

With this increase of dehumanization in the entire world, evil increases, and as musicians we are loosing our own identities and I would daresay our very souls with the advent of sequencers, the VO {virtual orchestra} etc etc. which of course results in needing less and less live musicians. In order to counteract this {evil}, we must realize the importance of recognizing our ownindividuality, our own uniqueness as human beings.

Don't forget the fact that music is spiritual; it is feeling, emotion,passion and the act of our creating music certainly verges on the spiritual. There is something in the act of creating which is almost like a religious revelation. Music is a sensory experience. The power of music and the feeling that it evokes shows us that there is surely something going on !!. The audience could be fifty percent of the musical experience. The excitement for us as musicians then is the rapport we establish with the audience. Can a VO or a sequencer do that ? My point here is to say that
it is our responsibility to make this connection with the audience.

We must ask ourselves if we are truly reaching our audiences. Are we getting to these people through communication with our music We've got to get through to them so that they get the utmost enjoyment from the music that we are playing.

You want them to go away feeling happy, inspired and having forgotten all their troubles for these few hours. Every note that we play is glorifying freedom of the spirit, in making life happy and positive That is what music is all about. It enables people in the audience to connect to one another. The audience gets this same feeling as the musicians playing get. They feel connected to each other...Consequently, what the music does is enhancing and showing us the fact that we are all connected..........Therefore this connection with the audience {or other musicians} results in the idea of all of this as a "spiritual experience".

In closing let me ask of everyone...."Let's get away from all of this hi-tech mechanization".

Let's give the audience more fluid, melodic, passionate, soulful music...something that the VO's and sequencers cannot accomplish. We as trumpet players must realize that our horns are closer to the human voice more than any other instrument. Let us not become so obsessed
with technical and physical prowess. The singing quality must always be present in our playing.

The world is full of talented derelicts unable to relate. It's all in our attitude and not the aptitude.

Our attitude towards our audience is the main ingredient for success. Feel the pulse of the audience. Make contact. Don't forget. Playing music is a "spiritual experience. " Yes, SPIRITUAL.

Final Thought: As trumpet playing musicians our compelling drive in wanting to express ourselves is this strong, natural desire to be whole in fulfilling our destiny, to become connected and in tune with ourselves and this wonderful universe in which we are so fortunate to live in...as the purpose of the music we play is to give the lives of the people we play for, more meaning and depth. Music brings harmony to this troubled, turbulent world..It balances us all consequently balancing the entire universe...........

Respectfully, LEON MERIAN