Zakir Hussain, NPR Morning Edition, 2015

Giving Up the Center

In January 2015, Zakir Hussain spoke with host David Greene on the radio program Morning Edition. The broadcast was part of Beat Week, an NPR series on rhythm and percussion. Hussain was sixty-three years old. He had played the tabla since early childhood under his father, the master drummer Alla Rakha. Greene asked him about his decades of playing with Western musicians. Hussain admitted that when he first arrived in the United States, he had great pride. He thought he was going to teach the world about rhythm because he represented an ancient Indian tradition. Playing with American musicians showed him how wrong that was.

In North Indian classical music, the tabla is usually a supporting instrument. The drummer keeps time for a singer or a sitar player. Hussain made the instrument famous as a solo voice across the world, but he kept the discipline of an accompanist. He knew that showing off speed ruins an ensemble. In the interview, he explained how a player must see himself: "You're just one little dot in the painting that is the music of the universe." Most work happens inside a group. You can be remarkably skilled at what you do without making yourself the main point of the room.

Therefore

Notice when you start treating a shared project like your personal showcase. Do your part with complete care, then leave room for the rest of the group.

A small reminder, on the desk or the instrument case, that doing your part matters more than owning the whole room.

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