by Nicolai Tarasov, 2nd kyu
The musical process, as a human activity that unfolds in real-time, shares many similarities with sports and Aikido. Playing instruments, playing sports or practicing martial arts require years of training to build up technique, strength, coordination, endurance, speed, stamina and other abilities associated with physical performance. As well, a constant sharpening of nonphysical skills as concentration, awareness, and other aspects of mental and psychological training is required.
But there are some basic differences between sports, martial arts and music. Ultimately, sports are about competition and a win: the objective, the goal and the source of excitement in sports. Contrary to that, nobody “wins” or “loses” in music. The enjoyment of music has completely a different nature than the thrill of defeating the opponent and being a champion. Of course, there are all kind of musical competitions, contests and auditions but all of them have nothing to do with what music is all about, with the essence of it—with the Harmony. Interestingly enough, many celebrated musicians (Glenn Gould for example) were against any sort of competitions, arguing that the idea of rivalry is contrary to the nature of music and is damaging to the performers. Compare this with a statement of O-Sensei: “Testing, competing with, and criticizing others weaken and defeat you.”
In Music, the word “Harmony” is used in two ways. In the narrow sense, it is the teaching of simultaneous use of tones, instructions about chords, how they are constructed and what principles govern the connections inside and between them.
In more a general sense, the concept of Harmony in Music derives from the Ancient Greek “harmonía” meaning “joint, agreement, concord” or from the verb “harmozo” meaning to fit together, to join, to connect. It refers to all musical elements and the suitable way of combining and blending them to create a “pleasing”, harmonious sound.
Aikido shares many principles with Music and this is why it’s so unique. The name itself “Ai” as joining, unifying, combining, fit—retains the same ancient meaning of Harmony as in Music. And as in Ancient Greece, the term defines the fusion of contrasted elements: in case of Aikido it’s the attack and the response, neutralization by blending with the energy of the attacker and redirecting of the force of the aggression, reestablishing the Harmony rather than opposing the attack.
In music, the way to achieve Harmony directly depends on the ability to listen. It is not only the greatest ally but also the main component of music making. When playing music, you need to listen and feel beyond yourself. Good musicians listen to each other, listen to what the partner is doing, listen to the audience and to the acoustics while making adjustments to blend and create Harmony. If musicians don’t listen, they are not connected and as a result there is not only the absence of Harmony but also a lack of conditions allowing them to rise above themselves as individual players in union with the audience.
In Aikido practice, we are urged to cultivate similar far-reaching listening skills. You need to listen to your own body, listen to the partner, where his or her energy or “Ki” is. During randori practice especially you listen to the space surrounding you. This allows you to connect and blend. With the connecting and blending comes the appropriate response, a nonresistant neutralization of the attack, and as O-Sensei teaches us: “Because it is nonresistant, it is victorious from the beginning”.
As a musician, I can closely relate to listening both in my chosen profession as well as in my chosen martial art—Aikido. In the concert hall and in the dojo there have been situations in which my partner or I may not have been listening very well to one another other. As a result, an opportunity to find Harmony was missed. O-Sensei said, “The Way of a Warrior is to establish Harmony” What a joy when we listen!
