When I was first asked to consider the topic of humility and its intersection with music, I was both reluctant and excited. Humility and the good life are of a subject matter that has such a long history of austere intellectuals considering and deconstructing their domains, that I found myself numb at the thought of attempting to add anything new that might be of interest or help to anyone. But it was in this state of reluctance that I found excitement: my life has been almost entirely consumed with the subject of music, and the domains of music have likewise been given great gifts by a long line of intellectuals and otherworldly performers. In the field of music this has not bred reluctance in me, but rather an energized sense of wonder; in fact, it helped me to discover my own understanding of humility.
In an attempt to remain as personal as possible and to steer clear of the overwhelming precedent of the philosophical tradition, I will outline the various ways that I have understood and developed the concept of humility in my participation in the musical world.
My journey in uncovering the potentials of creativity in my own life has led me in a plethora of directions. Outside of the vigorous study of music (which I will expand upon at length momentarily), I have been deeply drawn to words for over fifteen years. It began with words that gave new meaning to the musical figures and ideas that I held dear. It was in reading about these figures and their ideas that my intellectual spark was ignited. A crystalline sense of humility was thrust upon me in these initial readings as I discovered the scope and interconnectedness of the human experience. In essence, music was not just music, but a mirror of humanity and all branches of thought, understanding and experience. The idea of ‘the good life’ is not a foreign one to me, as my attempts at transforming my sense of humility into an honest way of being, led me after some time to the writings of Plato and his version of Socrates. The Socratic notion of ‘the good life’ as a life that is unendingly examined is a clear summation of how music has become an ever-deepening experiential study for me in my own life.
It is important to know that I am saxophonist and composer, and I was raised and mentored in the jazz tradition in America, directly growing out of the Black American Musical Traditions. [These labels are difficult at best and do little to denote the reality of my experience]. Before I outline the individual areas of musical life, I must also clarify my own definition of ‘the good life’ and humility. The notion of being humble for me is not a negative one. It is not about qualities of being ‘lesser-than’ or ‘lowly’, but rather of being one with the earth, realistic, and aware. It is not a notion of being nihilistically cynical when considering the microscopic space we each inhabit in this universe in our short lives, but rather a feeling of wonder and an overwhelming sense of absurd beauty at the situation we wake up in as a child.
Musical life occupies many different spaces for me in my day-to-day experience and all of these have contributed to my ever-widening sense of humility and have, without a doubt, given me the ability to believe in the possibilities of a life well lived.
Music as a Broad Subject
One of the most religious definitions of humility when considering the subject of music is the acceptance of the fact that we have no idea of why music. Sound is a natural phenomenon, explained by every branch of science in their own way. There are tomes and tomes of explanations of how sound is made, how it is derived, how it acts upon us, and theories tripling that of why each culture arrived at their own organization etc. In the end, these never answer or reveal why music exists. And this puts music and sound firmly in the field of all other unanswered questions. To partake in music one must examine it, and in that examination, humility is the only sensible answer for me.
The Practice Room
Musicians by definition must make music with something (their voice, their hands, an instrument). This requires practice. Practice is the most humbling form of self-examination possible. Like all forms of meditation and prayer in the religions of human culture, practice of an instrument is daily, it is private, and it is a form of communion with something beyond oneself. This is a daily chance to wrestle with the unexplainable phenomenon of sound and to attempt to gain some level of control in order to arrive at greater and greater forms of the power of music. The power of music of course is defined in a variety of ways depending on culture, and within culture the styles and uses of sound. But all of these arrival points in their own ways have a unique power to them: spiritual, joyful, sexual, romantic, religious, therapeutic, economic, the list goes on.
Lastly in the 21st century, digital technology has taken the starkness of humility to new heights. There is nothing more humbling than attempting to work with a metronome on a variety of rhythmic concepts. Holding oneself accountable to a dedicated source can immediately show the work there is to be done to reach those newer heights that are only subtle intimations at present. And beyond this, similar to the counting of breath in meditative traditions, working through repetitive exercises with the aid of a metronome is (especially in the case of wind instruments) an act of meditation.
Improvisation
Improvisation is one of the shining examples of humility in the good musical life. Creativity in every situation is one of self-examination, but in the act of improvisation it is raised to the level, yet? again, of spirituality. Improvisation requires a tuning of one’s faculties to immediate awareness of the now moment. One must take care to remember all of the things they have worked on and tried to learn and practice while simultaneously preparing for the unknown. Improvisation can be a solitary act, but more often than not is experienced with others. Humility in this instance is an unnegotiable requirement: you must respect and honor those that you are creating with so that you can meet their offerings purely – otherwise music is unachievable.
Improvisation, more than other musical disciplines, is a discipline that is deeply dependent on mentorship. The most humbling experiences in my life, that are with me in every moment, have been when improvising with those that I consider mentors. To feel the depth of their experience and understanding is the deepest lesson one can learn. To hear this made manifest in music breeds the most striking understanding of humility. This is a complex historical tapestry, that other disciplines experience as well: a mentor who dedicates themselves to the quest of humility and honesty, reaches new heights, performs alongside pupils, those pupils being overwhelmed by the depth of sound and musical quality, reaching and seeking new heights of humility and honesty do the same, reaching new heights, they perform alongside pupils… etc. etc.
Composition
The act of writing music down, cementing it for someone else to experience more than once, is for me a continually growing source of humility. To write things down in the 21st century opens the door for pessimistic attitude more and more each day: digital technology contains the total output of humanity at our fingertips, and more content is published each day than in entire previous centuries. However, the art of music can continually express anew the circumstances of the individual, and giving voice to one’s conscience is ultimately a spiritual and necessary experience. Self-examination when composing music is at times a deeply fearsome act: one must take into consideration the expressions of those that came before, and at this historical juncture the list is long and towering. In western music the simplest example of this is to consider that J.S. Bach, who seems to have expressed the inexpressible in his musical language, lived over 300 years ago, and since then there has been no shortage of the highest forms of musical expression. If one assesses this honestly, there is no other arrival point than a deep sense of humility. And when a composer starts to put one sound after another, there is no other way but honesty in light of this. This striving that takes place has pushed me in an almost militant way to discovering anew the possibilities of the good life. Musical composition is a historical wealth of giving. To contribute, humility must come first.
Ensemble Playing
The culmination of humility is that of sharing in space and time with others. Musical art is the only art that must expand in time, and thus, this requires an investment of the precious moments of one’s life, both in making music and experiencing music.
As a musician in an ensemble, the variety of topics that one must pay attention to, at all times, in service of the music are vast – tone color, beautiful execution and performance of one’s given role, awareness of the changing of those roles, intonation, an empathetic listening in order to match the emotional flow, grounding in the earth for the veracity of rhythmic precision.
It should be evident that in the brief, though not exhaustive list above, humility has a constant presence, but the final point in the list is worth a bit more exploration. In the etymology of the word humility, the root comes from humus: from the earth. Being aware of the unknowable reality of existence is something every human must assess for themselves. The more we understand this, the closer we are in relationship to the earth, that which gives us life. Life, by our measure, is governed by the continual pumping of blood by the heart. This is rhythmic. When we play rhythmically with others and each person does their best to find the deepest sense of this, there is a level of empathic humility that is unparalleled in human affairs. It is a form of love and celebration.
It is my hope that this brief essay can serve a function similar to the function that music continual serves for me: calling attention, on a daily basis, to the potentials of humility. And in seeking those potentials, uncovering a broader and richer definition of what it means to live a good life. The act of making music strips us of the trappings of everyday life, and when in this space, we are a step closer to realizing the depths of humility.