Do I have it in me?

The trigger.

A few days ago Dimitris posted a text that was arguing that musicality is not something that you have intuitively but rather a skill that you learn. A friend of mine commented below that she believed that there is something in some people that makes them more musical than others. I argued that it is a learnable skill. But why do we often believe that some people are more musical by nature… Or intuitively? Is there such a thing? Is there such a thing as having a musical talent?

Before we go into this discussion let me explain how I see what it means to me to dance musically, because it is crucial in our discussion. Musicality, at least as we use the term in Tango, is for me an umbrella of skills. Many people would use it for just a part of them but for the purpose of this post, I will include all skills that I am at least aware of.

The first skill is to be able to distinguish the different structures and patterns in music like the instruments, the layers the phrases etc. Let’s call this skill music pattern recognition. The second skill is the ability to synchronize your movement based on a specific pattern or structure you identify in the music. Let’s call this skill movement synchronization. The third skill is to be able to move in a way that matches the sound you are trying to express. The effect would be to make your body movement seem like it is the one that produces the sound and not vice versa. Let’s call this skill expressiveness. Finally, the fourth skill is the ability to combine all the previous skills within the lifespan of a musical piece in a way that creates a narrative with an introduction, a body and a closure. Let’s call this skill storytelling.

Based on that let’s now examine why and how some people seem to be more musical than others and if there is some special charisma that comes… by nature.

Genes and talent

There is a quote in human-computer interaction about intuitive interfaces that goes like this: “The only intuitive interface is the nipple.  After that it’s all learned.“. That means that the only thing we know how to operate when we are born is the nipple of our mother to get food (and this is not always the case). This means that all other interfaces we use, which we often call “intuitive”, are not based on intuition but rather on learned patterns that we have embodied so deeply that they seem like intuition. Like for example the colouring of a positive action button with blue or green and negative with red.

When we are born we only have a basic set of skills and we develop all the rest through observation and imitation. It’s the environment we grow up in that helps us develop our so-called intuition. Take for example a child today who can use a mobile phone like second nature. The same device for a 70-year-old is a mind-boggling device. This goes the other way too. Give a 10-year-old an old phone with a phone book to call a specific person and they will be scratching their head trying to figure it out while the 70-year-old person would do it in a few seconds.

The fact that some tasks seem intuitive or natural to some people has more to do with the environment they grew up in rather than with the abilities they were born with. Actually, the only ability that has to do with it, is the ability to learn and this is inherent in most people. There is however the possibility that because of your genes, you will have some characteristics that might help you learn and develop easier in some fields. Take for example Giannis Antetokoumpo or Michael Phelps. Most people agree that they are talented athletes. However, the fact that their genes dictated his physique which is close to ideal for their sport was a small advantage. If they however did not work and trained and followed specific nutrition regimes etc. any kind of advantage from their genetics would be lost and they could easily still be another average Joe type of guy among us.

Genes therefore can help some people by providing a tendency towards some skills. But the tendency alone is not enough to develop a talent. Tendency can only be a springboard and many people are lost talents because they never found their hidden tendencies. I don’t know if being musical is related to a tendency or a characteristic that you get from some specific genes but even if there was such a thing, without training and exercise this tendency will be hidden forever.

Then what is it?

As I already hinted a tendency without practice and exercise can go to waste. Most musical dancers are not born like this and it didn’t just happen to be like this. What you see is a result of practice and training but not the physical training that you may think.

Practice can help in all kinds of skills mentioned above. For example, often times I would listen to a song and try to identify the musical patterns especially when it comes to rhythm. I would listen to a song and think… here we have marcato in 4… here there is syncopation… here marcato in 2 etc. I would pay attention, especially to changes that are unexpected, strange or special in some way. For example, have you noticed how Biagi tends to stress the weak beats (or off beats) towards the end of the phrases? Or how the rhythm changes in Rie payasso from marcato in 4 to syncopation and then to weak beats in the span of just one phrase? If not… Then you need to listen more.

Practice can also help in movement coordination. When you see a dancer catching a bridge or changing rhythm effortlessly in a song it’s not intuitive. They probably have heard and danced to it so many times their bodies move in specific patterns without thinking. To achieve this when I find something strange like the examples above I would try to somehow mark it with a movement. I would tap my fingers, my thigh or even better I would stand up and try to do weight changes or walk in the pattern I identified. I would also do the same especially when it comes to synchronizing with the phrasing of a melody. In the first tries… I would usually fail… but after a few attempts the movement just gets easier until in the end, I am not thinking when I should move… I just know it and move. This is when it seems natural.

When it comes to expressiveness there are specific rules that dictate how you can successfully interpret a sound. Most of them are based on common sense or instinct. For example, it is common sense that when the duration of a sound is long you move during the whole duration of the sound and you don’t break the movement. It is also some instinct that when we listen to a low pitch sound we tend to compact our body and extend it when we listen to high pitch sounds. To exercise this when I listen to a specific sound I would try to move myself in a way that makes sense for this sound. How would you move to express a solo from Troilo’s bandoneon? Or how would you express the sound of the violin solos in D’Arienzo?

Although there are rules here this is the part where each and everyone has the freedom to express the sounds in any way they feel appropriate. This is where many people are blocked and some dancers are set apart. Finding the way of movement that matches better with yourself as a personality is what makes the difference. Some may express themselves with bigger ranges of contrast while others with subtle differences. It all comes down to who you are. Any movement is OK as long as it doesn’t break some basic rules of Tango (e.g. stepping on each other). No judgement on the looks of it fits here. The moment you start thinking that this move looks strange, your expression is compromised. You are no longer you. Every different body can move in its own unique way to express a sound. Accept it… embrace it… and free yourself!

Finally, reading the lyrics, and the stories behind some songs and listening to them, analyzing the arrangement helps in being able to tell a story when I dance. The more I learn, the more I see my dance evolving towards this direction. Knowing the structure of a song helps me plan my next move better. If I know that a fast variation is approaching in the next part, I would slow down to create a contrast. If a melody that I love comes, I would pause before it or focus on a simple rhythm to make it stand out. But I wouldn’t know that if I hadn’t before analyzed and listened actively to many songs. A lot of music! Really a lot!

Let’s Co-Create

Is it really only this?

Coming back to the discussion about talent, tendency and the role of the environment, I reflect on my experiences and my environment so far. Did that play any role?

Well… Maybe yes. I mean, my father took me a Walkman as a birthday present when I was almost 10 and one of my favourite cassettes (one of the few I had) back then was a collection of Latin songs sung by a Greek singer (Giorgos Ntalaras). I grew up in a city where carnival was a big thing and I participated in parades for 20 years where I was jumping around for half a day to the sound of Latin and disco music. I also always remember myself reading and doing my school homework and listening to music (mostly rock). A colleague recently told me that “Music puts my brain cells in order”. That’s how I feel too. Even to this day, I would listen to music when I work and when I want to focus on a task. I would also allow myself to move in any way I feel during that. Sometimes you may see me moving my hands like an orchestra director, others my head, or my upper body while I am sitting in my chair and code. Listening to music calms me down, excites me, moves me, triggers me in so many ways and I enjoy each and every one of them.

Moreover, I grew up in a family where I went to parties with my parents as a kid and I would see them dance. I would see them express freely how music made them feel. Apart from specific social circumstances where dance was considered inappropriate, they would never belittle, mock or laugh at how I tried to dance myself. On the contrary, they would sometimes encourage it.

So coming back to the question. Did I have something special in me that helped me develop my musicality? No! But I had a ton of external environmental factors that did not block my musical expression but rather encouraged it too. I don’t believe I have a special gene or a special physique or some kind of special brain or any other characteristic that helped me develop my musical expression. I was just lucky to be in an environment that did not block it because of social norms, prejudice or other kinds of fears.

Is this how I became a musical dancer? No! This was just a door that was left open. I had to open it and explore the whole area myself. I had to put in the effort. To listen to music, to take classes, to learn, to read, to think, to analyze, to even write about it and to exercise, exercise and exercise some more.

That is why I believe that musical dancers are not born with a special charisma (at least the majority of them). They are rather grown and developed to become musical dancers.

Is it too late?

Now I know that some of you out there were not as lucky to have music and dancing as a normal expression in your lives. There are people who might still have blockers because of their beliefs, social conditioning or whatever other external factor. I don’t know if I would be like this without the life and the environment I grew up in and I don’t know how easy it would be to go through some of these blockers.

I only know that putting in the effort, learning, reading, searching, exercising, exercising and exercising some more helped me reach a place where I enjoy dancing to the fullest. So if you do have such blockers think about them. Analyse them and find your way around or through them. And then… put in the effort.

Because the result is really worth it! Believe me!

If on the other hand, you are lucky like me and you believe you are musical already without having studied, having taken classes or practised then I have some news for you. Yes, you are musical but only to a certain degree, because being musical has so many different levels. You are just in the beginning. You may be like Antetokoumpo or Phelps but you still play in your backyard with your friends. If you want to find out what other levels exist, then start searching and putting in the effort.

Tonight’s Goodnight Tango

Tonight’s Goodnight Tango is one of the songs that can serve as a good test for musical dancing. There are so many unexpected patterns and changes that it almost feels like Biagi recorded it just to mess up with us.

So how about you? Did you grow up in an environment which did not block your musical expression? Do you believe that there is something special in some people that makes them more musical by nature? Is it possible to become musical without practice and training? How do you practice your musical expression?

Do you have something to say on the topic?

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