The poetess had then moved on to describe a battle scene in which the successful people, after winning the battle, rejoice and bask in the glory of success. On the other hand, we have a man, who after losing the battle is lying in the battle field, awaiting his death.
One thing which really got me confused was: How can a person, who has never succeeded in life, understand the meaning of success? I even argued with my teacher saying that the poem was absolutely meaningless. After all, how can a person, who is a loser, understand the value and meaning of success? And my teacher answered by telling me that there are few things which cannot be explained. They can just be experienced with time. At that point of time, I therefore concluded that the poetess was a confused person who somehow got entangled in the intricacies of the meaning of success, and ended up creating an inexplicable poem. Little did I know that as I grow up, I will have to be sorry for my thoughts.
The day I tasted my first failure was the day I understood the true value and meaning of success. That was the day I understood that the poetess had beautifully described the meaning of success and its value through uncomplicated words and a practical example. That was the day I felt ashamed of my ignorance. That was the day I felt a strong urge to say a sorry to the poetess and my teacher for being naive. And that was the day I understood the meaning of success.
Are you having the same feelings I had as an inexperienced kid? Well, let me just make this clear by giving you some examples and explanations. Consider an entrepreneur, who wants to make it big. He's invested all he had into a business which he thinks has a lot of potential. Somehow, things did not work out well, and he loses all his money. On the other hand, we have another entrepreneur, who in a similar fashion, invested all his money into a business and the business took off well and now he is one among the well-known, rich and successful people. Who do you think knows the true value of success? The entrepreneur who lost or the one who tasted success in the first go?
Let us consider another example in which we take an instance from our daily life. Imagine a student. He has done his goal setting and planned how he wants to complete his syllabus. He's worked hard for the whole year because he wanted to perform well in his examination. Somehow, he could not perform well in his paper. What is the value of success for him? What is the meaning of success for him?
Friends, the true meaning of success is understood only by people who've been failures at some point in their lives. A person who has always been in a win-win situation can never value success the way a person who has failed in his life does. For successful people, Success is just a small word which means achievements. For a loser, success can mean his life. He can do anything for being successful. A failed attempt makes a person work harder and forces him to put more efforts in his future endeavors.
A failure makes you realize the importance of success. It makes you understand how important achievements are in a person's life. It gives you the strength to face the adversities of life. It makes you recognize your potentials, your drawbacks and your strong points. It helps you in analyzing what went wrong, and makes you learn from your mistakes. A failure is very important in the development of a balanced human being. A person, who has experienced both success and failure in his life, is the one who has understood the actual meaning of life. But this doesn't mean that you start failing deliberately. If you are from the lucky lot who keeps winning all the time, thank your luck and be happy!
If the content of this article is still not clear to you, my suggestion to you is: "My Friend, Some things in life are inexplicable. The true value and meaning of success will be clear to you with time."
Scales are NOT music,but a means for making music. They are predictable, orderly, and sequential, but do not contain the life force found in a strong melodic statement.
Playing scales helps an instrumentalist gain facility and become familiar with his or her instrument and, the tonal "territory" of the key they happen to be in at that moment.
For example, think about this harmonic pattern:
C E7 A7 D7
With a thorough knowledge of the scales that relate to these four chords, you could not only play a melody and some relevant variations but also move freely through the form and come to understand what the progression itself is all about; instead of "fishing" for random notes that might fit without clashing against the sound quality of each underlying harmony. While a deep familiarity with scales is desirable and commendable, it is still nothing more than a preparation for making music, and falls short of good melodic and rhythmic inventiveness.
To use an analogy, each musical note is like a letter of the alphabet. A scale is like a group of letters arranged alphabetically, and a brief melodic string of perhaps one or two measures is like a word of phrase. A melodic statement of perhaps four or eight measures is like a sentence, therefore an entire song of perhaps 32 measures is like a paragraph. An arrangement of the song with a introduction, interlude(s). and coda is like a short story or article. A full production of this song in which the length of performance is increases, with perhaps singing and/or dancing segments with a vocal chorus or elaborate choreography, is similar to a book that tells the whole story. A symphony based on the thematic material is like a large carefully thought of literary work. The purpose of this analogy is to show the true position scales occupy in this hierarchy of musical values - they are purely and simply - our tonal alphabet.
Overall, the use of scales in improvisation does not contribute much of musical value - except as an effect or coloration that may be desired at a particular moment. There is neither spontaneity nor creativity in playing a scale while improvising; there is no musical statement in a scale. Since it is a predetermined succession of sequentially-arranged tones it is, in a sense, no different than a "lick", or a 'run", or an arpeggio, or any musical fragment or device built upon a formula. A scale is preset, void of the living, emotional, and dynamic elements which are produced through spontaneity, creativity,imagination, and instanteous experimentation.
A scale is a musical treadmill - it keeps moving, but it does not necessarily go anywhere - a kind of music spackle that can be used to fill up the cracks in a composition or improvisation. Reducing a song down to its harmonic content and then further reducing it down to a set of scales based on that harmonic structure, can be a starting point for elementary improvisation - but it can never be the whole journey. Void of the rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic textures inherent in the thematic material, all songs become a series of scales. It is like looking at a person and seeing a numerical equation instead of a human force simultaneously possessing personality, intelligence, character, and ability. How depersonalized can you get?
Scales are, in a way, musically depersonalized textures, lacking the elements that can bring the full musical picture into focus. In conclusion, of course, it i of great benefit for every musician to know the theory behind building scales and know how to play them on their instrument. These two capabilities will help the guitarist improve their physical technique on the instrument and increase familiarity with the entire musical area surrounding each tonal center. But remember, playing scales is a preparation for making music; it cannot be the final product.
In improvising the decision to play a scale or to draw something from it must be spontaneous, but without proper understanding of their true role in the improvisers's work kit that much sought after spontaneity will be the first thing to go out the window. Playing scales is like a boxer punching a bag, skipping rope. and sparring with a partner. Making music - employing scales as the underlying alphabet to generate a limitless supply of melodic ideas - is like the main event of a boxing exhibition.
Both Stephen Campbell & Mike Hayes are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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