THE PLAYER

Okay, so what does it take to be a good player, a great performer?  As I write these words, yes, a lot comes to mind, but, in essence, what is most important is that which comes from the heart.

Perhaps a tad cliché, but nonetheless, experts in performance who have been tested through time revert back to that simple, basic truth.  It is what comes from inside the person, the player, that determines the success.  But what creates the groundwork leading to the success?

In tennis, consider your conditions for a moment.  Can we really blame a bad racquet, storms overhead, a windy day that shanks that ball out one more time? No.  There you have it, the answer is no.  Because, if you are a player, a performer, no matter what you do or say, the end result comes from your control and you alone.  

Certainly, adjustments are to be made, but, since you are a player, this is what you need to do.  You can control your conditions immediately. The concept is quite simple, really.  We accept the place we are in right this moment, to embrace the moment, to accept consequences, love, mistakes, all that makes life, life.

The astute player, whether through tennis, music, any live performance, accepts the present moment, works with what she has, and gets the job done.  The key phrase here is ‘works with what she has.’  Let’s pick that apart for a moment.  Observe around you, or look at a tennis match in action.  Is it perfect? Does each tennis player really have the perfect shot, the best hair day, the custom sneakers ( maybe RF, but we’ll save the Greatest Of All Time for another day).  The answer of course is no.

The great player succeeds in making the mundane, the imperfect, perfect, or pretty close to it.  With training and practice, any motivated performer will reach the top with perseverance and might. Actor Will Smith has been quoted as saying he is not the most talented or best looking, but he stays in the game. He persists, gets to the next step, makes his presence known, and through sheer will he wills himself to do well, living up to his name.

Last night I had the benefit of witnessing the vast talent of world renowned cellist, Hai-Ye Ni. She played from her entire being, heart and soul, at one with her instrument. The final piece performed was a Joseph Haydn, no sheet music required. Instead, she played the piece with her eyes closed, working her fingers and hands, so at peace and in beauty with her art.

courtesy Philadelphia Orchestra

Hai-Ye Ni began her cello studies as a child with her mother and the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. You can just tell she was born to perform, and she agreed, with practice. Imagine being in her home, watching, listening  to the tutelage from mom to child. From there, she has studied stateside in San Francisco Conservatory of Music, at the Juilliard  School, and with William Pleeth in London. A true beauty, Hai-Ye shows us what is possible.

There is a great jazz pianist, alumnus of Columbia University Dick Hyman '48CC , who was asked by an interviewer if he missed the Baldwin Piano, which was retired some years ago, alas it made such great music.  His response?  Yes, the Baldwin Piano is a loss, but in essence what makes the music great comes from the person, not the instrument.  'No need to get too attached to the wood.'

Excerpts from the interview in Columbia Magazine, Winter 2013-2014~

"I moved over to Yamaha," Mr. Hyman says. "I like it a lot. They're excellent performing pianos... lightweight... more similar piano to piano." 

 Let's stop right there.  Pianist Hyman could have stayed with Baldwins, he played them for thirty years and they are certainly still around, but he chose to adjust his thinking and playing and moved on.  He is tender reminiscing, " I did like the Baldwin, very much." But he made the adjustment, and discovered that maybe it was a good thing after all.

More excerpts~

Interviewer asks,  "Do you ever think about favorite pianos you've had? Special ones? Is there a relationship that one has to individual instruments over a career?" Answer, "Mmmm.... No. Not exactly."

But then, as he always does, Mr. Hyman set things straight, reminding us all that the music isn't about the dead wood, but, rather, the living flesh.

"I found out long ago," he said, "that if you practice enough, every piano in town feels great." 

The operative word here is practice. And the next word, enough. Then, the music flows from the inside out. It takes over and creates anew. With practice. If you practice enough....

Such is tennis.  Your job as a tennis player is to get out there, and play.  No matter the conditions, in spite of the conditions, use what you have, and make the best music out there on that court.  Often, the very thing that you don’t like will be in your favor.  Don’t like the wind?  I was in a match the other day, and used the wind to gain a much needed point from an opponent.  

The beauty comes from the practice, the willingness to let go of preconceived notions, to allow practice to open up doors that would have remained shut.

Practice, enough, and you will have turned that coin over, and discover the other side that offers you dimension upon dimension of possibility.