The Human Folia - breathing, living, playing...

On last Tuesday, at the local Conservatory of music concert, one more time, I had a silly, humble illumination of-sort… attending at a concert, everyone notice that musicians, from top concertists to just graduated musicians, they look at each others and, after taking a deep breathe, they begin to play.

This breathing is something deeply linked, connected to time – both as music time signature and clock-related -  and playing, both solo or ensemble, no difference.

Being also a guitar player, I noticed how taking a breathe before playing a tune, also for pleasure or rehearsing, changes the overall performance, truly affecting the tone, concentration and self-consciousness, I dare.

A young, handsome cello player, Cristina Vidoni, showed this soooo well: last evening she was so much concentrated when taking her breathes… she almost transfigured herself into a quieter, yet feverish persona, her face both relaxed and anxious, taut.

The playing on Vivaldi’s “La Folia” was awesomely intricated and exceedingly complicate… fingering and positions on cello fingerboard were so various and an high-speed playing was required.

The breathing was accelerated, sure following music tempo…

Yesterday,  I tried myself in front of a large mirror I use when rehearsing, at home… my Lowden S-35 and me, seated, at late night, in the silent house, dimmed lights… I was playing some my own (little) compositions and… well: taking a deep unison breathe with the first notes plucked gave to me a deep connection with the action, itself… like a root to Earth, through the feet, then to the hands and the strings and wooden instrument.

It’s so natural and embarrassingly easy… I tried to play very same tunes without taking a breathe at the beginning and… I played worst than before.

I guess I’ll begin to listen to music taking a deep breathe before the beginning of a track, as well… who knows?

Maybe it will sound different… or, when I so enjoy a listening session, I take, automatically, a breathe and this enhances things…

Maybe that's crazy... the human folia.