Music & Gardening Part 3: Lessons Learned at the End of a Season
Dear Friends of the Guitar,
As the final harvest is upon us and the garden season has ended, I'd like to, once more, draw parallels between tending a vegetable garden and musical growth. Both were bountiful, and there is much to be thankful for. I learned a lot and the German saying, "Zu Viel des Gutens", sums up exactly what I need to be more aware of. It means “too much of a good thing can actually cause harm.” Some unexpected lessons came from our rabbits, who surprisingly provided me with both inspiration in guitar playing and in boosted plant growing power in the garden.
In early springtime the desolate raised garden beds can look so lonely, and I packed in way too much. An extra strawberry plant here, some Marigolds over there, and any wild self-seeded plants, including sunflowers were given a chance to grow. It was wonderful to watch it explode, but by midsummer it became overcrowded and dozens of giant sunflowers shaded other plants not giving them room to breathe and produce fruit. Next year, I will limit each bed to one type of vegetable and not tolerate any stragglers.
This "overcrowding business" is something I struggle with in my music life also. I allow too much unused gear into my immediate practice space, and it ends up becoming a distraction. Also, when I record something, I am tempted to add more tracks than necessary. Even when coming up with a practice outline, I cram in way too many topics. Thank goodness, one day, the solution came, seemingly out of the blue. I had stumbled across Aaron Shearer’s Scale Pattern Studies For Guitar. In that moment, I decided to finish this dense book by practicing 1hr a day from it on my acoustic nylon string guitar. I don't know why, but it has worked well, and I am very grateful to have received such a simple “less is more” epiphany. One acoustic guitar, one method book and one hour worth of daily practice was the simple “jumpstart” formula that needed.
In gardening, it is equally important to set time limits and realistic goals. Every year, I manage to overexert myself physically in my cherished mounds of dirt. On a beautiful summer weekend of tending the soil, despite the warning of a familiar discomfort in my lower back, I am on a mission to "get it done.” Just before night falls, I’m convinced the compost needs a good turnover, and sure enough, the next morning, I’ll barely make it out of bed and pray it isn't something really bad. It is ironic that I find myself repeating this painful mistake every year despite having “learned my lesson.”
The same is true for the music world. Whether it is playing too much despite an injured wrist, overindulging in listening to too much music or checking out too many guitar or music related Instagram posts; it can all have a negative effect on your wellbeing. Setting a time limit and sticking to it can be very effective at preventing “burning the candle at both ends.” Autobiographies of artists who have toured and recorded relentlessly are a precious resource for learning about the ill effects of “too much of a good thing.”
Much to my surprise the best role models for showcasing how to live the art of a well balanced, simplistic and thus healthy life arrived unexpectedly from my sister in law in the form of two adorable little bunnies, Petal and Blossom. These tiny fuzz balls quickly matured into rather shockingly large rabbits, who require plenty of daily care. Nonetheless, despite my poor jokes about serving them for Thanksgiving dinner, I must confess I am very happy to have them for many reasons. One of those is witnessing how content they are with their daily routines. They do best on a consistent modest diet, enjoy the outside, appreciate a small treat here and there and follow a very rigid sleep and wake cycle. They also clean themselves and arrange their environment rigorously to their liking. Astonishingly, they are vibrant and curious despite this monotonous routine! They are equally fine on their own, in each other’s company, or getting attention and tenderness from humans. In guitar playing there are many parallels like a regular practice schedule, taking care of yourself and your music gear, setting up rewards and having a positive attitude for the benefit of yourself and others.
However, the main reason I decided to stick with the rabbits is utterly down to earth and practical. Their daily dose of pellets is worth their weight in gold to any gardener! They manufacture one heck of a high-grade-natural-fertilizer, and I have witnessed first hand how vegetables and flowers alike will appreciate the extra daily dose of all-organic nitrogen. Our roses have doubled in size and some of the tomatoes reached record heights of 8-9 ft., which led to christening that part of the garden "Tomato Alley!”
Seeing these fantastic results points to the importance of finding the best habits that work and nourish artistic growth on a day-to-day basis. Not only does a musician need to continously hone playing skills, but also remain connected to that ever-flowing source of inspiration. Music magazines, podcasts or listening to new genres are things that initially might not speak to you but could turn out to be an inspiration for musical growth. Tuning in to weekly local radio DJ programs is a great way to get exposed to unexpected sources of musical inspiration. I am also very thankful for students and friends who send me listening recommendations. Paradoxically, great ideas can also come from solitude and quietness.
The call to narrow things down and to stick to small specific goals along with the wisdom and unexpected perks received from our rabbits has been very insightful. It seems that enabling space for growth by saying no to excess, seeking regular healthy habits, and fueling up on what inspires musical growth is what the garden and Petal and Blossom have taught me this season. Retrospection and sizing down is as ancient as a hand-trowel, but experiencing it hands on in the garden and in the animal world made it so much more tangible and true.
Enough rabbiting on about garden matters. Wishing you the best to create an optimal playing environment along with the courage to embrace the “less is more” mantra,
Chris
