The Space Between Your Notes

“Music is the space between the notes” – Claude Debussy

I thought of this quote before discovering someone much more intelligent said it first.  I was at a show listening to bluegrass virtuosos play so fast that it was hard to discern a space between notes.  It made me realize that there was only one interpretation possible.  There were no spaces for me to think or feel anything but the energy of their content.

Allow me to share a favorite quote came from my recent interview with guitar great Will McFarlane:  “It took me 10 years to learn how to play something vaguely interesting and the next 15 learning what to leave out.” Notes give direction but it’s the spaces that allow you to project feeling into a composition.  Odds-on, this is where “less is more” originated.

Spaces give us time to anticipate, but what are those expectations exactly?  Perhaps answers to equations, our soul’s rhythm, or a simple desire to return home, but to be sure, the more we experience, the more we tend to anticipate outcome.  In turn, this leaves room for surprise; the unanticipated conclusion.  Spaces between notes are like the unresolved questions; we search for direction and probe for answers.

Then again, unlike performing arts and film, the studio arts and photography have no external timeline.  The spaces are created by holding back information – we consume the first ten years discovering how, and the next 15 learning what to obscure.

A color photograph taken at eye level and displayed actual size with infinite detail and accuracy for the scene may inspire through technical proficiency, but there is little room for interpretation.  “This is a near exact replica of the scene, isn’t it lifelike?”  A photograph summed up in this way risks being quickly dismissed.

It takes courage to allow others to interpret your work but that is where emotions reside; in the spaces between the notes.  Make a statement then allow space for interpretation; too many answers create myopic works.  Passion is heightened when we find obscured spaces or silence allowing us time to emote; The notes manipulate and the spaces allow feelings.

We can all agree that there is one thing that classical music is not, and that’s myopic.  In this 20 minute TED video Boston Symphony Conductor, Benjamin Zander, teaches us why we love Classical Music.            - Bruce DeBoer

“Everybody loves classical music they just don’t know about it yet.” – Benjamin Zander

via the TED website

Since 1979, Benjamin Zander has been the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic. He is known around the world as both a guest conductor and a speaker on leadership — and he’s been known to do both in a single performance. He uses music to help people open their minds and create joyful harmonies that bring out the best in themselves and their colleagues.
His provocative ideas about leadership are rooted in a partnership with Rosamund Stone Zander, with whom he co-wrote The Art of Possibility.
Full Biography