Originally published in Classeek Showroom as 'Critical Listening: What For?'
We’ve all been there - musicians, that is. Generally, sitting down somewhere: be it at a world famous concert hall listening to a professional performer smashing away at a piece we’ve played; a masterclass we should have signed up for; early for your lesson and listening to the previous victim; or even just listening to some friends run through repertoire.
‘I could do that better.’
Yes, for some reason we can always do that better (a shame perhaps as no one is asking us to, but never mind about that). Or even worse; ‘that’s rubbish’. Because then it’s not even a case of offering up a better option, but a statement quite literally condemning the performer to mediocrity by our oh-so-holy opinion of, well, our-oh-so-holy-selves.