Resonant Thoughts: Ron Friedman’s “Decoding Greatness” (2021)

October 28, 2021

Resonant Thoughts: Ron Friedman’s “Decoding Greatness” (2021)

“It’s noteworthy that the first action a computer program designed to detect patterns undertakes is not to analyze but to collect. Which is consistent with how many writers, musicians, and designers view themselves: not as master craftsmen but as collectors. They consume voraciously, pursue obsessively, and accumulate influences the way chefs hunt for ingredients.”

“The most effective practice regimens avoid extended repetition, even if that means spending less time working on a target skill. Instead they harness the power of novelty and shake things up by blending an assortment of tasks, which results in sharper learning and stronger performance.”

– Ron Friedman, Decoding Greatness (2021)

Resonant Thoughts

Posted by:

Thomas Brett

2 responses to “Resonant Thoughts: Ron Friedman’s “Decoding Greatness” (2021)”

Frank Hudson

October 30, 2021 at 7:41 pm

Interesting. The quote mentions two things I’ve observed in myself and have always considered oddities and likely weaknesses. Many (most?) musicians for example are able to list a small number influences, such as two or three at the most. I would have a hard time making a list as there are so many and their impact varies month to month. I tend to think: if one has a hundred influences, does one really have any?

I also think that I should have repeated and deepened practice on musician and musical skills. But then there is an advantage to “cross-training” too.

Reply
1. Thomas Brett
  
  November 1, 2021 at 9:58 am
  
  Right. I would also lean towards having many influences. The book suggests that a multitude of influences allows one to see broad patterns. As for practice, I suppose there are always opportunities for building skills, and cross-disciplinary ones are the richest kind.
  
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Thomas Brett is a musician and writer who holds a PhD in ethnomusicology from New York University. He is the author of Principles of Electronic Music Production and The Creative Electronic Music Producer, a book described by Sound On Sound magazine as “a deep philosophical analysis of the various creative inspirations, ideas and processes involved in producing electronic music.” His essays have appeared in the journals Popular Music and Popular Music and Society, as well as edited collections by Routledge, Oxford, and Cambridge University presses. Thomas has played percussion on Broadway since 1997 and writes about music at brettworks.com.