Bela Bartok on Comparison and Competition
Tuesday Quotes are short explorations of music, life, and the daily endeavor of practicing classical guitar. Find more here. Enjoy!
“Competitions are for horses, not artists.”
Bela Bartok
Kids love to mark their height on a wall or door-frame. They love to see how much taller they are than on the last birthday or New Year. It’s fun to witness growth.
But imagine the kid who doesn’t look at her past heights. Instead, she only compares her height to her older sister’s line on the wall.
Every year, she still falls short. Sometimes the gap gets even larger. Always so far to go, and any progress feels paltry and insignificant.
Most of us would recognize the error of this stance, and try to help. We would bring this girl’s attention back to how far she’s come. We would urge her to look back at her own lines for evidence. We would try to explain how her sister’s height has nothing to do with her own.
And as musicians, how should we gauge success? How can we know we’re on the right track? Are we improving? Are we growing?
We may be tempted to gauge success by comparison.
Which is the faster runner? the one who wins the race. It’s cut and dry. It takes little thought or perspective.
But for a lifetime pursuit like music, comparison doesn’t work.
Why? Because the goal is not to have the fastest scales in the neighborhood. It doesn’t matter if we play bigger pieces than….. who exactly?
Improvement is a valid goal. But for its own sake. For the thrill of the chase. For the satisfaction of a job well done.
“Competitions are for horses, not artists.”
Bela Bartok
Hi, I’m Allen Mathews.
I started as a folk guitarist, then fell in love with classical guitar in my 20’s. Despite a lot of practice and schooling, I still couldn’t get my music to flow well. I struggled with excess tension. My music sounded forced. And my hands and body were often sore. I got frustrated, and couldn’t see the way forward. Then, over the next decade, I studied with two other stellar teachers – one focused on the technical movements, and one on the musical (he was a concert pianist). In time, I came to discover a new set of formulas and movements. These brought new life and vitality to my practice. Now I help guitarists find more comfort and flow in their music, so they play more beautifully.
Click here for a sample formula.
Allen, your website and teaching methods are excellent. You have an easy going yet encouraging way of inspiring people to learn and practice their art. And you are always accessible to your students to personally answer questions. I appreciate ... that personal touch. The course on reading rhythm and playing higher up the neck I found particularly helpful. God bless you and many thanks.
~ Joe Bazan
-Joe Bazan
This is the ideal starting position for me. As a relative beginner with no teacher this is helping me enormously in developing good technique and not falling into bad habits. I no longer feel (A) That it's a struggle to learn a new piece and (B) That I am alone in my endeavors. My advice is to try The Woodshed program. It is fantastic and will not only bring up your playing but his explanations of musical concepts as you go along put things into perspective.
~ John Andersson
-John Andersson
“Success lies in relentless execution of the basics.”
Join the program that takes you from the beginning fundamentals to advanced mastery, so you…
- Move your hands safely and fluidly
- Enjoy fulfilling practices and meaningful work
- Play beautifully with expression and flow
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