When Two Things Are True at Once
April 2026I’m working on the Bach Prelude & Fugue No. 8 in E-flat Minor this month (part of my year-long commitment to learn one prelude and fugue from Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1 each month).
The prelude starts with a simple blocked-chord motif (i-iv-vii°-i) in the middle register, underscoring a song-like melody. It’s written in cantilena style, which is similar to a vocalise.
The persistent half-note beats of the accompaniment create stability. And yet, there’s something almost restless about it: the florid lines, the punctuated spaces, the ornamented suspensions.
I’m learning that sometimes, two things can exist at once. Two things can be true at once.
Stability and restlessness.
And when we make space to hold both, that’s often where learning and growth take place.
We do this all the time in music: listening ahead of where you’re playing, recognizing melodic and harmonic motion simultaneously, adjusting balance in the moment, negotiating the technical aspects of playing your instrument with your expressive intent.
Here are a few other things that can exist at the same time:
Structure and creativity
Repetition and development
Teaching and learning
Holding on and letting go
Endings and beginnings
Simplicity and nuance
Continuity and change
Rules and instincts
Progress and perspective
In other words, there’s more to some things than what’s immediately apparent, especially in creative work. It takes a willingness to sit with uncertainty, embrace the tension, and accept the unknowns. By holding this complexity, you create possibility, curiosity, and freedom to step into something entirely new.
Which of these pairings are you sitting with right now?
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