Developing your playing style

[pancelticpiper]

You can put all the feeling and emotion you want into your playing, but without command of the instrument your feeling won't be communicated to the listener. They will only perceive formless noodling.

There's a saying that goes something like

The difficult must become habit, the habit become art.

In visual arts, I've heard this definition:

Art is the recording of human experience; the more profound the experience, and the more clear the recording of it, the better the art.

A musician has to learn how to play, and a painter how to paint, before they can create good music or good art.

[trill]

The difficult must become habit, the habit become art.

Amen !

[fiddlerwill]

Well yes, and no.... depends.... just look at the world of popular music.... some of those bands are pretty rough, yes there is technique but an unschooled singer .... can make a fortune and the schooled singer..... can maybe make a living.
Its not in the technique . Yes the basics must be mastered, 3 chords did the rolling stones ok ....
In the world of art... yes there are the old masters, real art IMO but thats just an opinion. There are plenty of artists where its just art and no technique....

So to an extent it depends on the genre and the aims of the artist. Do they want to express their art with or without commercial success with or without decades of study. What do they aim for?
Technique alone simply is insufficient , yes it can garner some success , but what do we play for?! Commercial success? To enjoy a few tunes with friends, sessions. To sit of an evening on the porch with a beer and have fun? To play with an orchestra? A jazz band , there are numerous aims all with different requirements On numerous instruments.
Every instrument has different requirements. A whistle... put it to your lips and blow, 10 min or an hour and the whole scale can be played with a fair degree of intuneness and acceptable tone, to accomplish the same on fiddle..... could take years...
And being able to play an instrument.. the techniques required doesnt make one an artist, it makes a technician.
Mastery of the physical bit, the wiggling of fingers in the correct order, admirable as it is,doesnt make an artist.....
I have 120 + solo GHB albums. Of those maybe 5 ? stand out , sure they all have exquisite technique but what is it that those few have that Isnt had by everyone of them . all world class players technically.
And who do pipers play for. Mass audiences? Or other pipers.....

Im all for technique , but its a tool to achieve artistic expression. Not a replacement.