It is not hard to compose, but what is fabulously hard is to leave the superfluous notes under the table. – Johannes Brahms
How many extra notes are in your life? Is this how you do things, or is there a simple, straight forward way to do it?
What does that mean?
This is a classic. Not just by age, but by it’s nature. Humankind has always been building things, it’s part of our nature. And there is always the urge to make something bigger, better, or more complex than the last one built. The urge to add something, even if it’s not useful, is hard to resist.
In engineering, there is a saying (only partly in jest), “Why make something dull and simple, when one can make it beautiful and complex?” That is roughly what Brahms is saying. Composing isn’t all that difficult. Resisting the urge to add all kinds of extra notes, he states, that’s the hard part.
I’ve struggled with this when designing software. I’m sure more than a few painters have gotten a little carried away with extra detail. Superfluous things seem to be an artists’ nemesis. Whether composing a photograph, a symphony, or a landscape, decorating a ceramic creation or a sculpture, there is always the struggle of trying to only do what is necessary, and nothing more.
Why is avoiding excess important?
When creating, how does one know when you have done too much? How do you know when enough is enough, and it’s time to quit? That is the heart of this quote. While in this case it is directed at the creative process, it applies to other parts of our lives equally well.
I believe there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. I believe everything has a ‘proper’ amount, and that amount will vary throughout our lives, and be different for every person on the planet. However, I firmly believe that there truly is such a thing as too much, just as there is such a thing as too little.
While it’s easy to point to vices and say that you can have too much of a bad thing, I believe an excess of anything can be a problem. Too much love can be stifling, or go in the creepy direction as stalking. Too much air (oxygen, specifically) is a problem. Too much sugar, too much water, too much food, all lead to problems. Just right, that should be the aim, right?
Where can I apply this in my life?
Where do you feel you’re going a little overboard? Are there some ‘extra notes’ in your life? What are you doing that you really don’t need to be doing? Where are you over extended, having bitten off more than you can chew? Or are you spread too thin, trying to put too many things, superfluous things, into your life?
Grab some paper and write down any and every part of your life where you think you are putting too many notes in. Where are you overdoing it, where can you cut back without hurting (or even improving) your end result?
There is another engineering saying, which states that the job is finished when nothing more can be removed and still have proper function.” In my opinion, this is the best way to approach life. It’s not trying to skate by with the absolute minimum, slacker style, but is instead, doing the job at hand properly and completely, but with no extras.
How many of the items on your list have some ‘extra’ stuff in there that isn’t necessary? What things are you doing that aren’t part of the original plan, but got added as you went? Project cars can get to be like that, as can other kinds of projects. For just a few dollars more, you can get a bigger TV, right? But is that what is proper, or are you just adding extra notes?
I can’t live your life for you, and only you can decide how many notes it takes to write the symphony that is your life. But I hope that by examining this issue, you can make a conscious decision about what you are willing to put in, and what you are willing to leave out.
From: Twitter, @artofcomposing
confirmed at : http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/johannesbr204449.html
Photo by Ryan Somma
Happy Birthday to Johannes Brahms, the third of the Three B’s, born 7 May, 1833
