I was recently absorbed by the teachings of one of the greatest war strategists in history, a Chinese general Sun Tzu. You may be thinking, “is this website not about music?”. And you would be right. Although, I am a big advocate of basing my knowledge and insight on as many different resources as I can (and I think you should too!). Even if the works in question do not refer strictly to your field, oftentimes you may discover fresh mindsets that can be quite rewarding in your work.
And frankly, what do you have to lose? In the worst case scenario you will only broaden your knowledge and deepen your understanding of this wonderful world we live in!
But then, you may find that by studying foreign disciplines and applying their point of view to yours, you develop a refreshingly new perspective within your own domain.
I find that especially philosophy books like this one – and you may argue whether war strategies should or should not be classified as philosophy – are easily translatable to any area of life you may want to apply them to. That’s how we arrive at MUSIC!
In The Art Of War Sun Tzu says:
If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the results of a hundred battles.
It carries great wisdom in its apparent simplicity.
Most of the significant thinkers in history (e.g. Socrates, Pythagoras, Nietzsche and others) put big emphasis on “knowing oneself” so this concept may be known to you.
It’s quite simple to think about one’s strengths and weaknesses. I bet if I asked you to do this, you could easily state at least a dozen of each – I know I could!
Knowing your skills is important. It makes you look before you leap. An average rap artist is highly unlikely …Read the full story
Source:: Music Think Tank