MONICA WALSH: Hello, everyone.
And welcome-- welcome to this
event at Google, TalksAtGoogle.
It's really exciting
to see all of you.
And everyone who's on the live
stream, welcome and hello.
I'm excited about
today's topic, which is
on creativity and innovation.
What is creativity?
Well, creativity is no different
than what we here at Google
do every day, which is
disrupt, forge new pathways,
and ultimately help our
users' lives improve.
It's a constant way of
being in our tech industry.
And no matter what
industry you're in,
the question is, how
do we stay connected
to that creative
force that exists?
Well, that's what we're
going to explore today.
My name is Monica Walsh.
And I'm a member of
the Streams, Photos,
and Sharing team here at Google.
And one of the really cool
things that I get to do here
is work with tons
of creative people.
One of them is Bradley Horowitz,
who happens to be my boss.
In his early career, he
was an innovator himself,
starting his own
startup company,
which was quite successful.
And he's a musician
and also leads
a lot of innovative
products here at Google.
I want to just take a minute
and acknowledge and thank him
because this event
was his brainchild.
So thank you Bradley for
being our host today.
[APPLAUSE]
In the next couple
of hours, we're
going to go on a journey,
a musical journey.
We'll have discussions.
And yes, there will be music.
We're exploring the theme,
unlocking creativity.
And first, we're going to hear
from composer and pianist Kenny
Werner.
We'll have a brief
stand and stretch
and then we'll come back
for a panel discussion.
I'll talk more about
the panel in a minute.
So first, Kenny.
Kenny Werner is a world-class
jazz pianist and composer.
He's author of a book
called "Effortless Mastery."
And the book helps artists
break through plateaus
in their creative process.
He's a creative director
at the Berklee School
of Music in Boston, where he
teaches his effortless mastery
technique.
I've had the pleasure of
watching Kenny perform lots
and lots of times.
And his aptitude for
improvisation is mind-blowing.
So we're in for a big treat.
With that, let's welcome to
the stage, Mr. Kenny Werner.
[APPLAUSE]
KENNY WERNER: Thanks, Monica.
MONICA WALSH: You're welcome.
[MUSIC - KENNY WERNER]
[APPLAUSE]
KENNY WERNER: Thank you.
Thank you.
I decided-- I can do these kind
of things, like, for hours.
And then the
problem is stopping.
But in a concise
amount of the time,
I thought it might be good
to be able to play and talk,
sort of like Victor Borge
meets Deepak Chopra.
[PLAYING PIANO]
Actually it's kind of rare.
Most musicians can really play.
But they don't like to talk it.
And there's some
people who are very
eloquent in talking about
it, but maybe their playing
is not so wonderful.
And this was just a
thing I found I could do.
It's almost like "Planet of
the Apes," wow, he talks.
[LAUGHTER]
And what I started
to talk about was
a state of mind, which
I knew nothing about.
But I just read it when I
was working with people.
And the basis of it is this.
When I'm working with musicians,
I say think about a time
when you had to play
really well and it was
really important to do well.
How did you play?
And usually they kind of
look at each other nervously
and go, oh, you know, like that.
So then I said, well,
now think about a time
when you were just
messing around
and it didn't matter
what you were doing.
Or, for you older musicians,
you were playing a wedding
and nobody was listening.
How did you play then?
And they usually say better.
So I said, great.
Now, the clinic is over.
You just found out the most
important piece of information.
All this time you've
been trying to play well.
Now that you know when you try
to play well you play worse,
you're never going to
do it again, right?
From now on, you'll
never try when you play.
And, of course, then
they laugh a little bit.
Because we're
programmed, even if they
know that in their life when
they try harder, they do worse,
they still can't help it after
about five bars of music.
So then we talk about it.
We talk about all
the things that
come up, especially
at music school,
like, boy, that kid next
to me is playing better
than me or this guy, he
plays better than me and he's
younger than me.
Or maybe I'm not as
talented as I thought I was
or it's really
important I play well
because I want the esteem
of the people around me.
Whenever that is, the
good news is that it's
all in the realm of thoughts.
And thoughts is where
most of the problem is.
So I discuss moving out
of thoughts and into what
I call "The Space."
The Space is sort of a
nondenominational idea.
Every religion has
its own name for it,
and in psychological circles,
super-conscious mind.
But basically, everybody
knows this space.
Everybody's had that
experience in this space,
I'll say to a
musician, did you ever
have a time you were playing
and it was just happening
and you were watching?
And most musicians
will say, yeah.
And I say, and that was the
best you ever played, right?
And they say, yeah.
In fact, you remember
where you were
and who you were playing with.
That's how different that
was from all the other times.
And they go, yeah.
So the whole idea is
getting out of the mind,
or the conscious mind,
and into this space.
In the conscious mind,
we have the problems
with the past and the future.
In The Space, you're
just in the moment.
From the conscious mind,
there's all sorts of criteria
that you want to
meet when you play.
From The Space,
every note I play
is the most beautiful
sound I've ever heard.
That's sort of the musical
version of enlightenment.
Every sound I play is
the most beautiful sound
I've ever heard.
Now, it could be easy if
it was something like this.
[PLAYING PIANO]
But if you're in
that state of mind,
it doesn't matter
what notes you play.
[PLAYING PIANO]
Every note I play is
the most beautiful sound
I've ever heard.
And from The Space,
that's where you go.
Instead of trying
to make music, you
have this sense of
receiving music.
And that's really great
because it takes away
a lot of responsibility.
[LAUGHTER]
For example, if I play a concert
and someone comes up to me
and says, wow, man
that really sucked.
I could say, well,
don't blame me.
It wasn't me.
Talk to him.
And I think everybody
knows about this.
The question is how to employ
it when it's time to perform?
And, first, can I give
everybody just a little taste
of what The Space is?
It's very easy to go there.
If you would, shut your eyes.
Now, all I'd like you to do is
notice that you're breathing.
You don't have to
exaggerate the breathing.
It's just like noticing
the traffic outside.
You were breathing
already, I'm sure of it.
Just notice it.
And if you have a
thought, just notice that
and you just go back
to your breathing.
We're going to do this
for just a little bit.
And when you're ready,
you could open your eyes.
Now, imagine playing from
there or working from there.
That's what we work on.
[PLAYING PIANO]
So just imagine that,
doing your work from there,
from The Space.
And that's how we
work with students.
Actually, I wrote this book
in 1996, "Effortless Mastery."
And it was kind of a
phenomenon because it
was something I
didn't care about
and didn't really intend to
do, which is why it probably
came out so natural.
What happens is I
started teaching.
The New School, someone called
the New School in New York,
someone called me and
said, hey, so-and-so
didn't show up
this week-- today.
Would you want to
take his course?
And I said, well, I'm sorry.
I'm not a teacher.
And he goes, it pays $150.
And I said, what time?
[LAUGHTER]
I mean this is when
I could use it.
So I go in there.
And it's a test.
It's a midterm.
I say, oh, great.
I just have to sit
here like a homeroom
teacher for an hour and a half
and then go upstairs and pick
up my $150.
So they did it.
And they were all leaving.
And then the guy that
asked me to come in said,
no, no, Kenny, I want you to
show them some of your stuff.
And he's asking them all back.
And I said, Arnie, if it was
me, I'd want to get out of here.
I just took a test.
And he said, no, no,
shown some of your stuff,
show them some of your stuff.
So I looked at the test.
And the first question was,
what is the first chord
to "Body and Soul."
Do you all know that song, or
some of you know that song?
It's one of the
great jazz standards.
So I said, well, all right,
here's the first question.
What's the first chord to "Body
and Soul" One of the guy's
raised his hand,
and E-flat minor.
No, it's wrong.
That happens to be right.
Another guy said,
A-flat sus because you
could use a-- no, wrong.
They came at it a few ways.
Finally, they were
getting kind of angry.
You know, I mean
the young musicians
can be quite opinionated.
[LAUGHTER]
And they were kind
of yelling at me.
And I don't know
exactly where I'm going.
But I'm kind of enjoying that
they're getting pissed off.
[LAUGHTER]
So I said, OK, you
ready for the answer?
Any chord could be the first
chord of "Body and Soul."
And they all went,
oh, that stuff.
Oh, yeah.
You must be a guy from the '70s.
Yeah Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I said, well, let's try it.
A guy said C major, OK.
I went C major.
Then I went cycle of fifths.
I managed to get
to the next chord.
Another guy said B major.
Whatever they said,
I managed to get it
to the next chord
or the cord after.
And accidentally, it was
probably the best harmony
lesson they ever had
So what happened
after that was I
was called to sub for everybody.
It was a jazz school
and real jazz musicians.
And as with the
tradition, at least
somebody didn't show
up every day to teach.
[LAUGHTER]
This is a great tradition.
So I got called every day.
I did a different
class every day.
And I started saying this stuff.
And it seemed to make sense.
And then after a while, I
did a couple of these things
for a convention.
And then the word was out.
This is something different and
it's a real musician saying it.
So I started to get calls to
do lectures and demonstrations.
And after a while-- it
was before the internet.
I'm sure you have
all heard of that.
Before the internet,
people were sending tapes
to each other about what I said.
I'm saying, I'm a musician.
Why are you paying attention
to what I'm saying?
I kind of resented
it a little bit.
And then I realized that somehow
people needed this message.
So about '95, '96,
I thought somebody
that's making all these tapes,
they're going to write it down.
I should write it down.
And I did.
And it's been all
over the world.
Musicians and artists of other
disciplines seem to use it.
I get calls and someone says,
hey, what's up with your book?
I just read it and I played
the best gig in my life.
Oh, well, just practice
the steps in there
and start over tomorrow.
So it's really weird because
I still-- I'm really, just
in my mind, a musician.
Where am I playing next?
Where am I writing next?
And this kind of thing
keeps sort of happening.
And it's great for just
kind of letting go,
which is kind of a-- you know.
It's great for composing.
Because I've had
composers say, how
do I apply effortless
mastery to composing?
And I say, oh, that's easy.
First of all, what is the most
nervous-- anxiety-ridden part
of composing?
It's a blank page.
And the only reason that
is, is because you're
trying to write something good.
So they said to me,
how do you apply
this with effortless mastery?
I said, just go home
and write something bad.
You'll fill pages, and
pages, and pages really easy.
And as you can imagine, going
home to write something bad,
after about two or
three bars, they
were writing
something very good.
And then they got attached.
And then they couldn't continue.
So it's that kind of thing.
Basically, I asked
the musicians why
do you think it's so
important that you play well?
And somebody will just
go, well, the tradition.
Another person will say, well,
my honoring of Duke Ellington.
And then I say, no.
You don't want to play bad
because if you play bad,
you'll feel bad about yourself.
So the only problem with that is
if you feel bad about yourself
and you don't want
to play bad, you're
going to try to play good.
And when you try to
play good, you play bad.
So that's the
dysfunctional loop.
So we practiced when I started
to teach people privately.
And I did this myself.
I had a teacher in Brazil
show me this simple exercise
on the piano, just
dropping my fingers
and, like not
expecting anything.
[SIMPLE PIANO EXERCISE]
And he told me to just do
that at the piano, right hand
and left hand.
And I was living with
him down there in Rio.
And I was there for,
like, four months.
He said, don't do anything
but that for two weeks.
And I said, wow, two weeks?
Oh, I don't think--
I'll miss all this time
that I should be practicing.
Meanwhile I wasn't
practicing anyway.
But suddenly I was afraid I
would miss the time practicing.
But I did it.
I walked over to the
piano and I went--
[PLAYING PIANO]
For two-- well,
not for two weeks.
After six days this
Brazilian woman
called me to come to a
party and play at the party
with my friend Victor, who
I went down there with.
And I said, well, I really
can't do that because I'm
supposed to be doing this
exercise for the next two
weeks, for another
week and a half.
And she said, oh, come on.
I really want you to come.
So we went there.
But after just six
days of doing this--
[PLAYING PIANO]
And I went there.
And this was my
epiphanal moment.
I sat down.
And we said, what
are we going to play?
So we said, well, let's
play "Autumn Leaves."
And I put my hands and I
went like-- what's happening?
My hands were playing for
me and I was watching.
And I was going, like-- and they
played a lot better than I did.
[LAUGHTER]
My hands really played
a lot better than I did.
And information was coming
through that I had studied,
but it never quite came through.
Suddenly, instead of needing 13
notes to find eight good ones,
they were just coming
out, just exactly right.
And my friend was looking at me.
He was going, what's happened?
And I said, I don't know.
I could have practiced
for eight hours a day
and I wouldn't have
had such a change.
And so I went back to
New York and I just
practiced that for a long time.
And then people sort of
asked me, what do you doing?
It looks like so relaxed
what you're doing.
And so it just kind of grew
into-- even effortless mastery
wasn't exactly my term.
I had written an article before
that and the editor labeled
it, "effortless mastery."
So when it was time
to do the book,
I thought, oh, maybe I'll
call it "Effortless Mastery."
And so it's been great.
And it's been quite a journey.
And a lot of people
have been helped.
And then Berklee College of
Music kind of took me up on it.
And what I'm doing now is
I'm the artistic director
of the Effortless Mystery
Institute at Berklee.
And they're trying to do
something about the fact
that 90% of the people that
go to music school get lost,
rather than get found.
And they might have known
themselves better before they
went to music school.
So the idea is they come in and
we do some of these exercises.
And there's other
courses involved in it.
But essentially, it's by
getting into that space
that we just sampled and
then touching the instrument.
That's the embellishment
I did from the exercise
my Brazilian friend showed me.
So I'll just give you
an example of that.
[PLAYING PIANO]
And there is a version of
that on every instrument.
So maybe I'll play
something else
and then I'll ask you if
you have any questions?
That's the story, more or less.
[MUSIC - KENNY WERNER]
[APPLAUSE]
Thank you.
Thank you.
I see by the big clock that
I'm most almost out of time.
So this is a great pleasure
and a great privilege.
And my good old friends,
Bradley and Monica,
brought me out here.
And I've never done
it for anybody,
except hung-up musicians.
[LAUGHTER]
You all don't look hung up.
So I'm really searching for
things-- nah, I'm kidding.
So I really appreciate
her bringing me out.
And I think you're going
to hear a lot of really
liberated thinking in
the collection of people
that they brought today.
So thank you.
[APPLAUSE]
