Lead singers rush.
Guitar players rush.
The drums and bass try not to rush.
Even when I air drum in the car and there’s silence in a song I always start the fill too early to come back in.
Why are we always rushing? I have two ideas…
1. We don’t want to miss out on the excitement of the next note. The excitement of the next thing that’s happening. Like a kid on Christmas morning looking at a stack of presents and must dive in before it’s time to dive in. We just want to get there and the less waiting the better.
2. Silence is uncomfortable. The silence before the next note is uncomfortable and we long for comfort. So we rush to get to comfort. The discomfort of the silence (of the space between the notes) makes us momentarily antsy…longing for something to fill the space. So we jump the gun to gain comfort…to make sure that something is always happening.
I’d argue that the space between the notes is just as important as the notes. That there’s no need to rush.
I’d argue that the excitement will be there when you get there (you won’t miss it)…and will even be amplified if you’re willing to fully embrace the silence and space that come before it.
I’m talking about rushing in the context of music, but it serves as a pretty good metaphor for life in general.
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I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com