Rejecting Perfection

Perfection has its good points, I guess. I wouldn’t  know because I’ve never been there.

Perfection appears to us as an ideal, our Mount Olympus, the place we strive for. It is that ever-elusive musical rabbit we chase in each practice session and every performance.

But is perfection really a suitable goal for a musician?

Perfection isn’t just a nearly impossible task. I believe that a “perfect” musical performance doesn’t exist …and shouldn’t.

That’s not to say that I haven’t heard performances that I considered flawless and ideal. But as a performer myself, I can say that even when I get all the notes right, there is always some musical detail I know I could have handled better. Following that thought further, if I hear perfection, but you didn’t feel you played perfectly, can perfection really exist?

But let’s be a little less philosophical and a little more practical.

Perfection in the usual sense is mostly about eliminating errors. Perfection is static. It is the flawless performance that you hear on a recording that has been edited and produced to create the best possible product.

Perfection doesn’t allow for the creative moment, that instant of inspiration that propels us to try something we haven’t attempted before.

As I’ve been watching the Olympics this week and marveling in the record-breaking moments, I have noticed something interesting. Although the carefully rehearsed and practiced skills can be beautiful to watch, the moments that excite the crowds, commentators and even the viewers at home are the ones when the athlete takes a risk and “pulls it off,” even if the landing is a little shaky or the methods clearly improvised.

The beauty isn’t in a flawless performance as much as it is in the efforts of the performer to excel, to go one step further, to give just a little more.

That’s where our striving for “perfection” becomes a limiting belief rather than a worthy goal. Consider these limitations of perfection:

Perfection is static. Music happens in the moment.

Perfection is a presentation. Performance is a gift.

Perfection is a dead end. Music is filled with creative possibilities.

Don’t get me wrong. There’s a huge difference between a performance that isn’t perfect and one that is a hot mess. You still have to practice.

What are we reaching for then?

You have made [human beings] for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned them with glory and honor…      Hebrews 2:7.

This Bible verse refers to humans as being, albeit temporarily, “a little lower than the angels.” In a similar vain, I would suggest that we strive for “a little lower than” perfection, in fact - imperfection.

For instance, what if we looked at our imperfection as a state of growth, part of the process of our development as a musician? If we take that viewpoint, here are the resulting changes to the “perfection” statements above.

Imperfection is a state of change. We grow through study, lessons and practice, seeking to play our music with more skill, creativity and joy.

Imperfection allows us to share with generosity. Performance is no longer about ourselves and our abilities. It is about bringing music to the lives of those around us and allowing them to share in our musical journey, wherever we happen to be at that moment.

Imperfection is about exploration. It is full of “what-ifs:” what if I try this fingering, what if I try this style of music, what if I try to play faster, softer, louder, more expressively. Imperfection is revelation.

What will change for you if you decide to enjoy a state of imperfection?