Lessons learned during two weeks in Turkey
This week I have two stories for you that will help illustrate ways to become a more fully realized musician.
A Mediterranean Cruise
I recently spent two weeks touring Turkey. On our ninth day, our tour group took a cruise on the Mediterranean out of Antalya. The weather was beautiful, if a little cool. Before lunch, we sailed to a cove where we had the opportunity to take a swim. Seven of us took the plunge.
I started down the ladder facing outward, intending to drop into the water. Part way down, I said to myself, “Dive!” and I did. How refreshing! How exciting! That dive set the tone for my experience in the water. By diving in, I was fully committed to the experience.
Complete Commitment
Sometimes learning a new skill on your instrument demands a complete, full commitment to the task. Avoid the halfway attempt and give 120% of your focus and intent to the new challenge.
Beginning adult clarinet students can sometimes struggle with producing a good starting tone on their instrument. Perhaps a lifetime of doing things a certain way makes us adults more challenged to try something new. By being fully committed to the task, you bring forth your innate musical genius to successfully start down the road to musicianhood.
My second story takes place in the small town of Korkuteli at the local farmer’s market.
Muz, Zeytin and Incir – Oh My!
Our tour guide said most of the sellers would not know any English and he instructed us in counting one to ten and taught us a few key phrases. I had my phrase book in my hand as I went from vendor to vendor purchasing food for a picnic later with the group. I got some muzler, portakalar, yesil zeytinler, ve incirler. That is bananas, oranges, green olives and figs.
There were many stalls selling a variety of cheeses. Some cheeses in tin cans, others in animal skins, still others in plastic containers. I wanted to buy some goat cheese – beyaz peynir – and made my way to a cheese seller’s stall. “Beyaz peynir, lutfen,” I said to the women behind the table, smiling all the while. Lutfen is please. The woman smiled back but it was obvious she didn’t understand me as she rattled off a string of Turkish words I didn’t recognize. I tried again, adjusting my accent. The woman was friendly enough but it was clear she did not understand what I was trying to convey.
How to communicate with her? Inspiration hit. “Moooooo!” I called, “Baaaaa!” Yes! THAT she understood and began talking rapidly using words I could only guess meant cow or goat. I later learned that beyaz peynir literally means white cheese, not goat cheese. That might have been part of the communication snafu. Now I could point to the different cheeses and ask if it was “moooo” cheese or “baaaa” cheese. We all laughed and enjoyed our connection. With the animal sounds and a few Turkish words, I was able to successfully purchase biraz nefis peynir (some delicious cheese!)
The Lesson of the Moooo
What is the lesson here and how does it apply to musicianship? Simply this: Be willing to look foolish for a moment in order to get the goat cheese! Similar to diving in wholeheartedly to a task, be willing to try anything to become a musician.
Sometimes creating your clarinet or sax embouchure for the first time may feel silly. So what! Feel silly for the moment. Soon you’ll be enjoying making music on your instrument — a worthwhile reward for a few moments of silly.
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