In this lesson, we talk about the similarities between learning a language and learning to play music. In the dialogue, Ah-Ming (阿明) and Xiao-Li (小李) get lost looking for the Korean restaurant.
Language and music have a lot in common. We learn both of them in large part because they feel good. It feels good to connect with other people; it feels good to express yourself. Sure, you might say the real reason you're learning Mandarin is to help with your career, your studies, or any number of other reasons. And that can be a great starting point. But language learning is an endurance sport, and those who don't find some way to enjoy the process are much more likely to burn out and give up.
Similarly, the vast majority of people who regularly play an instrument do so in large part because it feels good; it's meaningful; it's enjoyable. And we tend to feel sorry for the few musicians who play despite disliking it or finding no meaning in it, just because they "should." Why bother?
Not that you need to find complete enjoyment in learning Mandarin right now. Like any new thing, it takes time. So give yourself time (and space) to explore, to try various things, to follow paths of inquiry that inspire you. There's no one correct path when it comes to languages (or music).
A conversation is a lot like a jam session. It goes well when everyone listens to everyone else; when everyone plays in the same rhythm and the same key (well, more or less, depending on the genre). Everyone takes turns sharing the spotlight; one player takes a solo, and the others hang back, make space, nod in affirmation, ask questions, play counterpoint. A good conversation can be a beautiful thing, just like a well improvised piece of music.
In his TEDx talk at Gabriola Island, musician Victor Wooten tells the story of learning to play the bass guitar as a very young child. Before he was old enough to even hold a real instrument, he would sit in on his older brothers’ jam sessions. His brothers put a plastic toy guitar in his hand so that he could feel like he was part of the band. You could say he was learning music at the same time that he was learning English.
This is an unusual way to start learning music, but it was effective: By the time Wooten was old enough to hold a real instrument, nobody needed to tell him what to do with it. He knew how to play music -- it was just a matter of teaching his fingers to channel what his mind already grasped.
Nobody ever told Victor Wooten that he wasn’t ready to play yet. Or that he wasn’t allowed to jam with his older brothers until he learned more chords and scales. So don’t let anyone -- least of all yourself -- tell you that you aren’t ready to speak Mandarin until you learn more words and phrases.
If you know what it feels like to communicate with someone, then in a crucial way you already have everything you need to start speaking Mandarin. If you’re still a beginner, then maybe you’re just like that baby Victor Wooten, sitting in the chair with the plastic guitar: You're already in the band. You're already holding the instrument. You just need to start messing around on it, and keep your eyes and ears open.
Dialogue transcript (Chinese characters only)
Dialogue transcript (w/ pinyin and translation)
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