Subtract until it breaks – one way to Practice
There is a wonderful old story about Michelangelo being asked how he carved his sculpture of David. Michelangelo’s response was something like, “all I did was get rid of everything that wasn’t David.”
In design a basic tenet of minimalism is subtract until it breaks. This has been a major focus both in improving my design and horn playing.
Myself, I tend to over-design things. As a final step, subtraction begins and continues until no more can be taken away.
A basic process and basic tools
This method sometimes can take weeks and months as it has with both Horn Matters and AZOOMA. The point at which things “break” is metaphorical of course and it can be a flexible boundary defined by circumstance.
Key in this process for design are:
- patience
- a pencil and paper
- working with rudiments
- research – looking at other designs & studying art history
- seeking advice
The breaking point
In design, things break when they cease to be functional. In horn playing, the point at which things break can have different meanings but it is essentially the same.
Finding this breaking point involves literally the same process:
- patience
- a pencil and paper
- working with rudiments
- research - listening to other musicians & reading texts
- seeking advice
When a problem is boiled down to its essence it can be a thrilling and enlightening experience. What is done with that discovery is a topic for another article.
In the meantime let your metronome be your guide. It is an important touchstone and reference point in subtracting and letting go of the bad stuff.
712 articles: BRUCE HEMBD is a web marketing developer by day who plays French horn professionally at night.» More information about Bruce Hembd » More articles by Bruce Hembd » Contact
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