48. the MUSIC LESSON

Victor Wooten 2006

A wonderful mystical book that parallels Music and Life by teaching Life lessons through Music as learned by the narrator from his new music teacher Michael.


"Warning: Everything in this book maybe all wrong. But if so, it's all right."

"I've been playing the bass guitar since I was two years old, but I started playing Music before that. The youngest of five musical brothers, I was welcomed into a unique world rarely seen by outsiders. It is a mystical musical world where, it seems all are allowed to visit but only the chosen are allowed to remain."

"Music exists inside each one of us. An instrument offers different forms of expression and allows others to hear how musical you are, but you don't have to play a note to be musical."

""Mu," he continued, is an ancient word for 'mother' and sic is just an abbreviation for the word 'science'. So, put together, Music means 'the mother of all sciences.' So you see, Music is important."

"He seemed to think that what we see in life and what we hear in music are simply our choice and that when things start to look grim, that is when we really need to find beauty."

""Listen to what you are saying. 'I hate bluegrass music.' You are talking about you but blaming your lack of perception on this particular style of Music." All Music, like all people, contains beauty and a soul. For you not to recognize it is not Music's fault. It is you we are talking about! It is you who does not recognize! There are millions of people who love this Music. Are you here to tell me all these people are wrong?"

"A sad person often plays music in a minor key, while a major key might suggest a happy mood. That, I already knew. I could even tell when a person was extremely nervous just by listening to his music. Maybe, like tracks, music is a doorway allowing one to peek into a person's spirit. The thought of that was really intriguing. I was excited to learn more."

"Beauty is invisible, individual, and intangible... How can this be? Like Music, it lives inside you, and you impress its qualities on whatever you choose."

"In order for me to play freely, I need good technique, but I don't wanna be thinking about my technique while I'm playing any more than I wanna be thinking about my mouth when I'm talking. So, when I practice, I use 'not concentrating' to get completely comfortable using the technique.. Combining the two concentration methods allows me to get a complete grasp of the technique."

"Now, we have ten different but equal parts of Music: notes, articulation, technique, feel, dynamics, rhythm, tone, phrasing, space and listening.

"We think that Music stops at the ears. That is a mistake. Vibrations can be felt in all places and at all times, even with the eyes."

"Emotion, properly directed, can cause anything to happen. A mediocre musician can win over an audience by sheer emotion alone. Remember any one of the ten elements, raised to a very high level, can be used in a way that overshadows the fact that the musician is lacking in skill of the other nine."

"A famous blind musician will be someone that your parents and your children listen to. Why? I'll tell you. It is because they fill their Music with tremendous amounts of true emotion, and that is what they get across to their listeners."

"Music touches people's emotions in a way that nothing else can. When people find a musician they like, they are usually fans for Life. If they like the musician and his Music, they will open up their hearts to whatever the musician has to say. It matters not what country the musician or the fan comes from. Music is a language they all understand. It goes beyond and breaks down the barriers. This makes the musician powerful, and with power comes responsibility."