A place to be yourself

By Vidas Pinkevicius (get free updates of new posts here)

​Can you ever feel yourself? Not someone else's idea, not a copy, not a rival, an even not a student of some master past or present? Just yourself.

Yesterday for the podcast of December 4 I interviewed French master organist, improviser and pianist Thierry Mechler whose idea that improvisation is a place where he can be himself struck a chord with me.

If you think about it, it really makes sense, doesn't it?

This is what you do when you improvise. You come to the organ with your ideas, your thoughts, and emotions.

You take all of these momentary feelings and you create something out of nothing using whatever musical means you have at your disposal. Or maybe you catch your music from out there.

I don't know.

Whatever it is, it's definitely a healing experience.