Seven rungs of resistance
Wynton posted this as an answer to his last question during the Facebook Q&A. There are 7 basic rungs of resistance up the ladder of artistic success.
I will start from the lowest rung to the highest.
1. Ignorance – Not your fault. Generally the result of a polluted environment. No one knows, so you don’t know.
Example: You think funk is jazz.
2. Miseducation – Your teachers are well meaning, but just don’t know. It’s no one’s fault. Example: someone tells you, you have to study classical music to become a jazz musician. Bad advice.
3. Personal difficulties – You just have some major personal problems to overcome. extremely dysfunctional family life or some time of physical or mental disability. Once again, no one’s fault, but an obstacle to overcome.
4. Laziness – You just would rather waste time and achieve through talking what hard work would have ensured.
Example: You spend a lot of time talking about what you are going to do and what other people are not doing.
5. Opinion of family and peers – They think you should do what they think you should do. They don’t study music or art, have undeveloped tastes and should be helping develop yours by encouraging you to seek professional teaching. Instead, they offer you a steady stream of uninformed, well meaning, but ultimately bad advice.
Example: The advice of your friends in the midst of a nasty breakup. Let them be friends. seek professional help.
6. The opinion of a failed artist – They didn’t make it, so neither will you. Encouragement comes very difficult to them and a strong undercurrent of pure cynicism and negativity can destroy the optimism and faith required to get your artistic aspirations off the ground. Beware, because they also have a lot of very valuable information. but, if their career failures have not been put in perspective, that information can come at too high a price.
7. Uninformed criticism and the court of public opinion – The critics of your time are not fans of the art form that you practice. There’s nothing you can do to make them fans. They have been given unearned positions of authority. Don’t be depressed over this type of criticism. Consider it a compliment. With public opinion, be very careful. If you feel that you are above public opinion, your work can suffer from the type of myopic arrogance that destroys the humility central to artistic development. Part of artistry is submitting your work to be accepted or rejected by non “experts”. It’s like cooking a meal. If you don’t care whether people like it or not, why not just cook for yourself. However, if you follow whatever the trend is, you might end up cooking a Big Mac. Good luck and do your thing.
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Amen.
— From Janice Cartier on Apr 11th, 2009 at 4:12pm
I’ve had to deal with every one of those at one point or another- thanks for posting that. Classical music vs. jazz- they’re apples and oranges, aren’t they? Also I don’t agree with the old drummer vs. musician thing- someone told me I had to play piano too. Do you have to compensate? Drums are a sensitive instrument- so to say you should have to compensate to be a “musician”- …I don’t know. To me, there’s enough there to become dedicated to, with just drums. But I guess I can see the viewpoint since playing piano might help you learn to compose, if you wanted to compose. “Like Max and Jack DeJohnette.” …But he’s James Moody! So I listened. I met him at the Blue Note and talked to Jon Faddis also.
— From Corey Cook on Apr 11th, 2009 at 9:12pm
How does Herlin Riley feel about that? I think he tried playing trumpet one time, but I don’t know if he could do anything with a piano. That list- I shouldn’t say, “had” to deal, it’s a current thing. Yesterday, and today. Any one of those on there. When Chris comes back I think he’ll play trombone again. Ok, thanks.
— From Corey Cook on Apr 11th, 2009 at 9:18pm
I want to comment on no. 2. Being a public educator and a person striving to find swing, I see this all the time.
I feel that most of today… Read More’s band director’s lack the necessary tools to teach the Art of Jazz. This could in part be dealt with by having college music education programs provide a jazz pedagogy course to would-be music educators. The class would need a text that not only covered basic elements of teaching jazz, but also a section on picking appropriate works for a jazz festival. States also need to have a graded list of charts (most do with concert band music) that could serve as a guide for educators to select quality literature. Maybe this could come from the national MENC office.
I am well aware that J@LC publishes many works and gives charts to schools that are enrolled in their program. I am also aware that you provide a summer jazz workshop for educators. I cannot in words express the gratitude that I feel for this being done. However, most of the people that are going to attend a J@LC camp are already very committed educators to jazz education. The only way in WV that we could get music educators to attend a jazz seminar is to bring it to them. This can be accomplished by having more jazz events at State Music Educators Conference.
MENC needs to become more involved with bringing jazz to … Read Moreeducators. Most educators today are more concerned with their marching band program than teaching kids to swing. As an educator I am well aware of the pressure that is often placed upon them to produce. Marching bands are obviously the most visible part of a program. There is great emphasis placed upon directors to have a good marching band. We need to see that more importance is placed upon offering a complete program. Marching Band, Concert Band, and Jazz Ensemble. This is not happening. Aside from the fact that we have directors that are not equipped to teach jazz, we also have schedules that do not allow students to engage in the Art At my current school, freshmen are given one elective. My school offers a Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble, Percussion class, and an improvisation class. It is becoming more difficult to fill these classes due to the lack of emphasis put on arts based courses. This is all legislated by the government. I have heard rumblings of … Read MorePresident Obama appointing an Arts Education Advisor. This would be a true step in the right direction.
What all this comes down to is the fact that money would have to be put into the arts and state level jazz education offered. In education there always seems to be a lack of connection from the teachers and those making the decisions. I am certain that more teachers would teach jazz if they had an understanding of it.
— From Neil King on Apr 12th, 2009 at 8:28am
Good morning and Happy Easter, Wynton. I’m happy to see that these were posted here, I was worried that we would lose them as more people posted on Facebook. Have a wonderful holiday and see you soon,
Karen
— From Karen on Apr 12th, 2009 at 9:30am
Interesting!
The list could go on… untold rungs of resistance experienced by musicians Palestrina, Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Schubert, Schumann to Louis Armstrong, W.C. Handy, Charlie Parker, Bessie Smith, etc. Their artistry and influence remaining strong through the test of time.
— From gloria on Apr 13th, 2009 at 5:15am
Thanks! real is cool. BS is not. Love the music, thanks for sharing, everyone else, most of all me! Step it up!
— From DK Johnson on Apr 13th, 2009 at 4:45pm
Wynton,
I’m personally impressed by these. I’m a trumpeter, but my focus is on business now. I read and reread books like Think and Grow Rich, Napolean Hill; Developing the Leader Within, John C. Maxwell; and The Go-Giver, Bob Burg and John David Mann. These are a small sampling of my library, and your 7 points will be added to it. Are they published?
— From Dan Wright on Apr 13th, 2009 at 7:15pm
Drummers should know of the piano for example tunning their drums and for melodic/chord voice references for a better communication and understanding of the piece.
I would never tell someone they HAVE TO STUDY CLASSICAL TO play Jazz? I agree bad advice. However, I here improvisation in both studies of these studies. i feel its good to study classical but have to no.
Jazz can be funky but funk is not jazz=feel me on that one?
I guess it depends on what we call a star of failed artist.And success and in who’s eyes. I feel personalyl I have been very successful and have a lot of knowledge to give to others but,I am open to learning more.
No matter what I seem to have accomplished my friend and teacher was the last one to give me a compliment. But someone how I was alwasy trying to do better to get the approval from him of my achievements. I still struggle with this, even knowing in my heart I have done a good job and knowing anything I do I can make it different or in my yes do it better. I waited now for him to tell me about a song I sang Pannonica indeed I am flowing over the time like a butterfly I was critized for singing; ahead,on, behind and the beat of “1”.By other musicians until they said “Hmmm yea this is acceptable because clearly you estblish you know “1” in the tune.
— From marchell jackson/songwriter on Apr 17th, 2009 at 12:39pm
“1” is of the Western Aesthetic anyway. Is Jazz necessarily of the Western Aesthetic? “1” is not consistant, it is not a “Universal Truth” of all musical structures.
Take 1 and pass it on… heehee…
— From Karen on Apr 17th, 2009 at 12:55pm
Many of the same type of obsticles occure for visual artists as well. We hear that being an artist is not important, that we should do something more responsible and lucrative with a guaranteed monitary return. We hear that we should learn how to draw before we begin to deconstruct drawing. So much of overcoming obsticles on this uncarved path is having faith in ones own life – the kind of wisdom that almost takes a life to learn.
I myself did learn to draw before I began to deconstruct… but I think this is a natural progression. Once a technique is mastered it can become boring – and what is interesting is what is not “supposed” to be happening – the variation in the line, a drop of spilled paint, the nuance of doing something “wrong,” – exaggerating or being subtle, and lots and lots of play. Thas led me to appreciate not just obvious forms of variation such as expressionism but also children’s art, art brut (naive art) etc.
There ARE demonds that lie along the pathway of the road less traveled for the creative soul… lets slay them!
— From Maria on Apr 18th, 2009 at 4:52pm
just what is a failed artist??? Is this soemthing that everyone will be at one time or another? Who give this label as such. I am puzzled.
— From marchell jackson/songwriter on Apr 19th, 2009 at 1:39pm
Very good points! A failed artist is one that gives up on the pursuit of one’s art- succumbing to one or more of the above points mentioned. It is the act of the individual that defines one’s failure as an artist. I don’t believe anyone can actually label one as a failed artist in terms of creativity. I think that label may be the common misconception if one doesn’t make monetary strides in pursuit of one’s art, then he or she is a failure. I’ve never subscribed to this concept and I don’t think many artist do. If you believe in what you do and don’t let anything stand in the way of pursuing your artistry, then you can’t be seen as failing.
— From Sonalii on Apr 24th, 2009 at 12:30pm
I knew how heavy you were when I once heard you
breakdown and define a note. Thank you for the seven rungs of resistance, I am passing them on to all the
young people I know. I hope this will help them.
Please continue to enlighten us with your wisdom.
I hope to see you in San Francisco this fall.
— From Beverly Woods on Apr 30th, 2009 at 6:57pm
Wynton,
Wow! I’m just really impressed with your candidness and wealth of wisdom you’ve earned over the years. Thank you for communicating this to us.
— From Dominic Powell on Jul 15th, 2009 at 11:01am
Love your book – we should all be reaching that higher ground!
Cheers…
— From Steve Smith, Jazz Guitarist on Mar 17th, 2010 at 7:59pm