The most important notes in any piece of music are the ones that are not played. Ma teaches: (1) listen to the silences — the pause between movements, the rest between phrases, the breath the singer takes — these are ma, and they give the music its emotional shape, (2) create space for music — turn off the background noise and listen to one piece with full attention, and (3) let songs end — resist the urge to immediately start the next track. Sit in the silence after the last note. That silence is part of the music.

Going Deeper

Explore this concept further in The Beauty of Ma by Takeshi Mori.

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