But they played every note...

As classical musicians, we don't improvise.

Or do we? Or should we? Well, first of all, when I think of improvising, I think of jazz.

They truly improvise.

They play around with the notes and the rhythms, bending them, shaping them, stretching them, into all kinds of wonderful sonorities and melodies.

But they're not just guessing.

Their choices are intentional, grounded in a tradition that celebrates exploration and spontaneity.

We classical musicians, we don't do that. Or at least, we think we can't. Because if we did, we imagine the composer wouldn't be happy.

That said, because notation in classical music is not a closed system, we're not just reading.

We're translating, interpreting, sometimes even guessing.

What do I mean by that? Well, take dots.

A dot that follows a note is simple math.

It just adds half the value of the note that came before it.

But a dot above or below the note? That's something else entirely. We say the note should be short.

Violinists even say it means off the string for some reason. But is that a mathematically correct assumption? Or are we just guessing? And what about tempo? Take a marking like Allegro. Is that a fixed number on a metronome? Or does it depend? Could the same Allegro be faster in 2/4 than in 3/4? Does context suggest different speeds? And if so, are those markings really definitive? If they're not, then within the restrictions of our notation, do we actually have room to improvise? These were the kinds of questions I used to daydream about when I was studying at Juilliard.

Questions about meaning, about interpretation, about how much space we really have when playing music written by someone else.

But when I started teaching in France and in French, I had to come back down to earth.

What I mean is that I needed to be clear about what I asked my students to do.

With this in mind, I only gave my students music that was marked with my fingerings and my bowings.

These were the markings I had written into my part to shape the performance of the piece as I envisioned it.

When I gave the student the part, I made it clear that my markings were to be followed without any deviation.

I was sure that this would save a lot of time and put the student on the right path towards giving a wonderful performance.

Well, I remember the recital at the end of my second year teaching at the conservatory.

All 30 of my students performed. It was not a short recital, but I felt it was important that everyone participate no matter their level.

This kind of inclusive thinking was very much in line with French cultural values. You know, liberte, egalite, fraternite.

One of my more advanced students played a movement from Lalo's Symphony Espagnole.

I was really looking forward to it. I thought they played the piece beautifully.

But in the recital, after the first note, everything changed.

The fingerings, the bowings, nothing followed what I had given them. I was so disappointed, and I figured they would be too.

After the recital, I went backstage to congratulate everyone and eventually ran into the student who played Lalo.

I expected to find them with their head down, maybe upset, but no.

They were leaning against the wall chatting with their friends, smiling.

I was surprised, so I walked over and asked if they liked their performance.

They smiled and said, yes.

So I looked at them and said, but the only fingering you got right was the first one.

They looked at me and said, but I played every note.

I added, but you missed all the bowings too.

They just kept smiling and said again, but I played all the notes.

I walked away totally unsettled by that answer.

But then I started thinking back to my days at Juilliard, to those daydreams I used to have about what it really means to play music written by someone else.

And that made me wonder, maybe just playing all the notes was their way of trying to answer that question.

Yeah, but they totally didn't play my bowings or fingerings.

Well, I guess different roads can lead to the same place.

Then again, maybe not.

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