Texas Bandmasters Association
Bandmasters Review • June 2015
13
For centuries mankind has
viewed the Seven Deadly Sins to be
those transgressions that are fatal
to spiritual progress. With subtle
variations they are referenced in
the religion, literature and arts of
countless cultures. We know them
today as lust, gluttony, greed, sloth,
wrath, envy and pride.
It has occurred to me that as
a result of our desire to objectify
every measurable aspect of music
making we perhaps have created
our own set of “deadly sins.” These
sins are a detriment to true musical
progress. We obsess over every detail
of notation that we view on a printed
page of music. We study it, we
analyze it, we strategize how we will
teach it and we develop elaborate
rubrics to judge it. In truth, nothing
we see in terms of printed notation is
actually music. It is composer code.
It doesn’t become music until we
“crack the code,” solve the mystery
and bring it to life. As is the case with
most mysteries, the truth is rarely
obvious.
Unfortunately, if we accept every
aspect of musical notation literally
we run the risk of totally missing
the essence of what the music has
to say. We may achieve the objective
of being “correct” but in actuality
that rarely makes it “right.” The
results, while being measurable,
are sterile and lacking in those
expressive, human qualities we
refer to as artistry. So what are our
deadly sins?
Generic Articulation
If we are not careful we will
commit the sin of using articulation
primarily to create precision and
achieve (and I hate this term)
vertical alignment. Yet, in reality,
the role of articulation is to create
note shape and musical personality.
Precision is a by-product.
Unconvincing Dynamics
As we strive to refine balance,
blend and tuning be aware of
the sin of understating dynamic
contrasts. We are seduced into the
act of compressing dynamic range
to such a degree that, while the
resulting sonority “sounds good”
there is no perceived dynamic
contrast. We have achieved our
objective but in doing so sacrificed
one of the most expressive elements
of music making in the process.
Absence of Line
Never forget, music travels
linearly. It tells a story, explores
emotions and takes the listener
on a journey. In reality it is a sin
to obsess over the vertical factors
and objective content of the music
to the extent that there is little or
no consideration given to how the
music unfolds from measure to
measure, from phrase to phrase or
from beginning to end.
Being a Slave to Tempo
Markings
Certainly tempo markings
are there for a reason and they
offer valuable insight in terms of
the composer’s intent. There is
no question that some must be
precisely observed. But to embrace
every metronome marking literally
and precisely is a sin. There are
countless factors that can influence
tempo selection including but not
limited to the size of the ensemble,
maturity of the musicians and even
the acoustics of the performance
space. Paul Hindemith perhaps
said it best, “Do not play the tempo
that is written, play the tempo that
is right!”
Ignoring the Role of Silence.
Silence is a priceless quality.
Leopold Stokowski proclaimed that
silence is the canvas upon which
we paint our music. It is an integral
component of music making. How
long should it last? Is it passive
or does it contain quiet energy?
How does the music emerge from
the silence and then return to the
silence? To fail to consider these
limitless options is a sin.
Neglect of Proportion
Proportion is an essential
component in all of the arts. Again
in our desire to “get it right” we
fail to consider the relationships
between dynamics, tempos, note
Richard Floyd
The Seven Deadly Sins
of Music Making
