This compelling volume could well be titled “Zen and the Art of Playing”, so pervasive are the references to Eastern disciplines applied to music. With notable boldness and a constant drive toward a higher vision, Werner challenges our most deeply ingrained habits—our habitual ways of thinking and making music—guiding us toward an outlook that draws unapologetically on spirituality and mysticism.
While the world of jazz forms the primary backdrop of the book, it also offers insightful observations and references to classical music and other genres. Through personal stories, examples from the lives of great musicians, reflections drawn from Eastern philosophy, and four extended guided meditations (recorded in the author’s voice on the accompanying CD), Werner leads the reader on a journey that overturns many of the prevailing assumptions in traditional musical training and practice.
The “effortlessness” referred to in the title is the natural expression of our highest state of consciousness—a transcendent state that represents both our origin and our direction. To play effortlessly, one must learn to release the ego and the tyranny of thought, to be gentle with oneself, and to let go of fear. These aims might seem difficult or accessible only to a select few, were they not presented in such a persuasive and engaging way that the reader is led to recognize them as latent capacities within everyone—capacities that can be awakened through appropriate practice.
Particularly insightful is Werner’s analysis of the fears and dysfunctions that prevent us from accessing this broader and more complete dimension of ourselves. He identifies their root primarily in the obsessive need to “be good.” “How did I play?” is the most common question musicians ask themselves, yet it is also the one that most severely limits creative freedom. The expectation of results and concern over judgment overshadow the pleasure and joy of playing. These fears and limiting beliefs also manifest physically, in muscular tension, rigid and inhibited posture, and shallow breathing. In reality, Werner suggests, it is precisely those who are unafraid of failure who are paradoxically most capable of achieving success.
The second part of the book presents practical strategies for freeing ourselves from conditioning and fear, enabling the expression of the individuality and greatness inherent in each of us. The aim is to help us remain, while playing, practicing, and listening, as connected as possible to the source of inner, “divine” music—what Werner calls “the Space.”
“I am a master, I am great.”
“There are no wrong notes.”
“Every note I play is the most beautiful I have ever heard.”
Statements such as these may appear naïve or even absurd to the limited rational mind, yet within this perspective they serve as a bridge to a broader level of awareness.
In our view, the book’s greatest strength lies in the author’s ability to awaken in the reader an irresistible pull toward the deeper meaning of making music—toward its fundamental roots and motivations. Beyond fear, uncertainty, and culturally conditioned patterns, it encourages us to rediscover that inner place where perfection resides, and where joy, pleasure, and fulfillment are available in unlimited measure.
An essential read for any musician in search of inspiration and vision.
