PRIVATE LESSONS | Music

June 29, 2007

Art of Interpretation

Interpretation: Science, Skill or Art?

Dictionaries define interpretation as a mental representation of the meaning or significance of something.

Much of what we create, read, hear and see is subject to interpretation. From producers to consumers, everyone is an interpreter. It’s a two way process that involves a little bit of science, skill and art.


  • Unlike computers, humans perform music differently every time. Variances in rhythm, timing and touch are nuances that give musical interpretation meaning.
  • Business executives reading the same set of data may reach different conclusions on the meaning of the numbers and consequently business direction.
  • People admiring the same contemporary painting interpret artistic ideas in variety of ways.
  • Accident eyewitnesses recall and interpret events from their vantage points.
  • Interpreting what people actually do vs. what people think/say they do is both skill and art.
Illusions & Mind Games

Illusions and mind games are interesting, too. Dictionaries define illusions as an erroneous mental representation or distortion of a sensory perception.

How do we interpret what we see? Take a look.








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