Clark Terry was a versatile jazz musician and educator who left a lasting influence that has been felt by many in the music industry. His career spanned more than 70 years, playing with notable musicians such as Duke Ellington, Quincy Jones, and Oscar Peterson. He even mentored a young Miles Davis.
Terry developed a distinct improvisational voice using a three-step learning system. He sums it up in three words, “Imitate, assimilate, and innovate.” Terry began applying this system early in his career and continued to use it as he progressed.
In the beginning stages of learning for Terry, it was all about copying the musicians who came before him to learn what it was all about. Terry spent his time listening to other musicians, transcribing solos, and absorbing their style to get a better feel for how they played.
From there, he started to ask more questions and explore why musicians did things a certain way. Terry went beneath the surface level and began to integrate stylistic nuances and what he was learning into his own style.
As Terry continued to experiment and tweak his music, he started to innovate. While he began by copying others, he continued to practice and build on what he learned to develop new sounds and styles.
Terry’s learning system is not limited to jazz improvisation; it can be applied to many creative endeavors and skills. It is simply a process for progressing through the stages of learning.
The Stages of Learning
Like Clark Terry’s idea of “Imitate, Assimilate, Innovate,” Japanese martial artists use the concept of Shuhari to describe the progressive stages of learning to mastery.
We can use this concept as a guide for learning and developing new skills. Each stage builds on the prior as you gain knowledge and experience.
Shu (守) – Learning the Fundamentals
The key to learning in the Shu stage is to follow loyally and copy. Avoid deviating from the master’s instruction.
The purpose of this stage is to learn the fundamentals and techniques. Do not be in a rush to disagree or adapt what you are learning. Instead, concentrate on doing the skill to the best of your ability.
Don’t think of copying as an insult to the master. Copying someone with more experience is a natural part of the learning process if you want to understand how to do something.
Humility is essential in this phase. You need to check your ego at the door and learn to trust the process. Learning from predecessors, absorbing information, and building a strong foundation will help you progress to a deeper understanding.
Ha (破) – Understanding the Theory
Once you master the foundational skills, you progress from Shu to Ha. The Ha phase is about questioning and discovering through an active and exploratory approach to learning. This phase is about understanding the ‘why’ behind the ‘what’ from the Shu phase.
This stage requires self-reflection. If you don’t understand ‘how’ and ‘why’ something works, you may struggle to perform a skill consistently, and your development will stagnate. With a deeper understanding of principles, you can apply that knowledge in new and imaginative ways.
Ri (離) – Breaking Free
In the Ri stage, your learning is almost all through self-discovery and experimentation. Think of someone in this stage as a pioneering practitioner. You go beyond traditional knowledge and test out new ideas like an inventor.
In Ri, you build off the fundamentals and principles you learned in Shu and Ha to forge new ground and innovate. Clark Terry spent time learning what came before in order to move ahead.
The Shuhari System of Progression
Following the Shuhari system creates good discipline. Think of it as a shift in your learning model. It is a change from the school standard of ‘get the grade’ to ‘master the skill.’ Shuhari is not about getting a grade and moving on; it emphasizes actual learning.
Think of Shuhari as three concentric circles of learning. The fundamentals do not change, but how people apply them can change. Each person may apply the fundamentals in different ways as they incorporate their personal style and way of doing things.
Shuhari works when you overcome your ego and personal resistance to learning from others. There is nothing wrong with adopting good ideas that come from other people. Getting started on the path of learning to mastery is more important than arguing about the best way to begin. You can always adapt and evolve later.