More from Master Manlon and "The TAC Legend Writings"

This is another excerpt from my book, "The TAC Legend Writings,
Book 1: Journey to Freedom." Master Manlon was giving a masterclass with Joice and Seymore. Many different topics were being worked into including that aspect of music--dynamics, timbre, rhythm and styles--have a spectrum of expression. The same is true for emotions. This concept reminded Master Manlon about an experience he had with a student on this very subject.

Master Manlon: "I used to play an old, popular trombone piece of the 19th century by Ferdinand David. The second movement is a funeral march. One day, a student was playing it for me and I asked him what feeling was in him when he was playing this movement. He told me he felt sad. I asked him what kind of sad? He looked at me and I looked him and we knew we were on to something big!

Even throughout this movement, we discovered the quality of sad changed or was flavored with other combinations of emotions, such as grief, a hint of hope, regret, reflection of the past and anger. This gave the piece more meaning and painted a sonic picture that was truly more engaging for the performer and the listener.

Everyone knows there are different kinds of the same emotion, just like there are various shades of blue, red, yellow or any other color. If we take that one natural fact and apply it to our music-making, (and everything else!), we all will be further away from generalizing and putting life and each other into a 'one size fits all' formula and will allow ourselves to actually see and experience the greater fullness that is all round us."

Here are some links to other TAC Legends excerpts:

Trombone Sci-Fi
Excerpt from "The TAC Legend Writings"
Blinded by Sound
Another Excerpt from "The TAC Legend Writings"
More from "The TAC Legend Writings"
More Trombone Sci-Fi