Is tone character?
Does my tone reflect my personality? I think it must, although perhaps only to me. I wouldn't want to decide anything about who someone else is based on his or her tone on their instrument, but today, at least, my tone felt like a mirror.
Hesitating? Sometimes (and randomly) jumping in too fast and sometimes holding back? Reluctant to commit? Vague about intentions? Content to know about something rather than to do it well? Uncertain about how much pressure is appropriate? Going with the flow and missing the details? Hmmm.
OK, not all practice sessions are like that. And there's such a thing as getting too deep into the details. More to the point, what are you going to do about this stuff anyway?
I don't know if anyone else looks at their playing this way. We usually talk about things like playing faster, playing with better time or groove or feel, and knowing more songs. All good things, of course, and all pretty measurable.
But how good can your tone be if you're vague about your intentions? Or hesitating? Or missing the details? What's the point of learning more songs if you're content to know about them rather than play them well? And if you're vague about your intentions at one level of detail (movement, for example), isn't that vagueness likely to show up at another level of detail (remembering lyrics, for example)?
I guess my point is this. If an aspect of my tone looks like it's connected to something in my personality, that tells me it will probably occur multiple places in my musical life. The good news is this (I think). Working on one of these aspects will address multiple issues simultaneously. For example: if I create a habit of being very clear about my intentions, that habit might change how I approach hand movements, note choices and memorization.
(I suspect it would also change how I approach non-musical things, from conversation to bill-paying to making dinner plans, but I can't back that up.)
Like most of what I uncover as I practice, this may not be for everyone. I'm not suggesting that you go looking for it. If it has already come looking for you, however, I think you can probably find a way to use it.
