“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few”
Shunryu Suzuki
I’ve always wanted to play the cello.
For the longest time it remained a wish.
That changed a few weeks ago when I finally decided to follow through. I went online and bought one on the cheap and then signed up for lessons online.
I think the reason why I hesitated all these years was that I was afraid of the idea of being a beginner.
And even though I was already a musician, learning a new instrument as an adult felt almost as daunting as learning a new language.
In our culture, we tend to dismiss the experiences of beginners, maybe except for babies. We don’t want to be seen or identified as beginners.
On the other hand, we implicitly trust experts and spend much of our lives seeking to be seen as experts ourselves.
But in Zen Buddhism, there is something known as “beginner’s mind” or “don’t know mind.” This is the perspective of bringing a sense of openness and curiosity to everything we do and everyone we meet, even in situations where we think we are knowledgable.
I’ve known of this concept for a number of years now, but it gained a more practical significance as I ventured into the world of stringed instruments.
Looking stupid
When my cello arrived, I unpacked it and installed the bridge, the unvarnished wooden section which supports the strings and transfers their vibrations to the body of the instrument.
Once the bridge was in place, I excitedly pulled out the bow and began moving it across the strings.
Nothing.
I tried again. No sound.
A quick YouTube search provided the answer. I needed to apply rosin, a form of resin that covers the hairs of the bow with a powdery, slightly sticky substances that allow the bow hairs to grab the strings and cause them to vibrate.
Boy did I feel stupid. How did I not know this basic fact? Even after applying the rosin, it took a couple tries to finally get a sound. I was finally in business.
But not yet
It turns out that producing sounds acceptable to the human ear on any stringed instrument requires good bowing technique which takes many years to master.
To produce a pleasing sound, you need to control the weight of the bow on the strings, the speed of the bow, and the position of the bow. All need to be combined perfectly and constantly monitored.
And don’t get me started with the left hand. It needs to become familiar with a fretless fingerboard so that the right pitches can be produced on demand. It requires amazing muscle memory and impeccable ear to make sure you stay in tune. It’s the reason why most beginning string players are intolerable to listen to.
So in short, I was not quite yet in business. I have so much to learn.
The benefit
It’s not easy to become a beginner again. But in my short time of being a beginner, I’ve begun to notice and experience this primary benefit:
You begin to slow down and pay attention
One of the hallmarks of becoming an expert is speed.
A virtuoso violinist can dazzle the eye and boggle the mind by playing impossibly fast while making it look easy. A math whiz can perform complex mental calculations in seconds.
An expert historian can recall every detail of complicated historical events in real-time without the help of a textbook or the Internet.
Speed impresses us. But we can also miss out on a lot when we just focus on speed. Becoming a beginner again forced me to slow down so I could pay attention to the position of my body, my hands, and on the sound I was producing on the cello.
It forced me to pay more attention when playing the piano, an instrument I thought I was already familiar with.
It allowed me to be more patient when teaching my own children the piano since I am now better able to identify with their experience as beginners.
Turns out that slowing down and paying attention does wonders for human connection too.
Stay curious
The easiest way to adopt a beginner’s mind? Stay curious.
Learn a musical instrument.
Learn a new language.
Listen to your loved one as if you were meeting them for the first time.
Leave your assumptions at the door.
And open your heart.
It’s true, you won’t dazzle the masses as a beginner, but you’ll be constantly dazzled by the world around you.
You’ll become like a little child who sees beauty and wonder in everything and everyone.
Cylon you have a way of saying something I’ve heard before in a way that I connect with now! Perfect timing ♥️
Wonderful Karen! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Thank you for sharing.
I was with you all the way as you slowly appreciated and learnt about your new instrument.
It reminded me of how much I loathe learning anything new – it’s hard work and takes time. Yet, if I avoid learning new stuff and being necessarily humiliated in the process, I know I’ll end up attracting even more hard work which will take up even more time.
A good lesson. Thank you.
How’s the cellist doing today? Thank you for sharing your experiences as a beginner again. You always say something that makes me think… And, rosin…I always thought it was used to keep the hairs on the bow from fraying! Who am I kidding, I also didn’t know it was hair!