Digital recorders | Scores & sheet music| General references & resources | Listening | Warm-ups | Sight-reading | Interpretation | Memorization | Collaboration | Technology
Portable digital recorders (see pages 16-18 of The Musician's Way)
"Self-recording in practice." An article on The Musician's Way Blog.
Audio recorders
Zoom H1 (manufacturer site). New. Purchase for $99 US from B&H Photo.
Zoom H2 (manufacturer site). Purchase from Buy.com or B&H Photo. ($129-139).
Zoom H4n (manufacturer site). Bulkier than the H2 and twice the price, but with finer sound quality and features. Purchase from Buy.com or B&H Photo.
Edirol R-09HR (manufacturer site). Comparable in cost and quality to the H4n but compact like the H2. Purchase at a discount: B&H Photo. J&R Music World.
Mikey iPod microphone (manufacturer site). Transform your Apple device into a portable recorder. Purchase from Buy.com (about $44). Get the Blue Fire recording app from iTunes (free and low-cost versions).
Video recorders
Excellent selection of camcorders available at Buy.com and B&H Photo.
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Scores & sheet music (see also Instrument-Specific Resources & For Singers)
"The 4 types of music editions." An article on The Musician's Way Blog.
Internet Music Score Library Project. A vast repository of free downloadable scores.
Sheet Music Plus. Printed music; enormous selection.
Free online scores from the Indiana University Music Library.
Digital scores and libretti in the collection of the Loeb Music Library at Harvard.
Free downloadable scores from the Sibley Music Library at the Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester.
Sheet music and multimedia resources compiled by the Harvard University Library. Links to scholarly sites offering free downloads and more.
Sheet music collections. Links compiled by the Duke University Music Library.
The Neue Mozart Ausgabe free digital version. The complete works of Mozart, courtesy of Bärenreiter.
Digital collections from the Bavarian State Library. The complete works of Schumann, Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Liszt, Handel, and more. Free online viewing and pdf download.
Kreusch-Sheet-Music.net. Free sheet music. "Based on the principle that all classical music is a public treasure which should be accessible for everyone."
The Mutopia Project. Free public-domain classical music typeset by volunteers.
Schubert Autographs. Free online viewing of Schubert's manuscripts.
The Werner Icking Music Archive. Free scores to download. Hosted by the Dept. of Computer Science at the University of Aarhus in Denmark.
The Juilliard Manuscript Collection. 138 extraordinary autograph manuscripts.
American Sheet Music, 1820-1885. From the Library of Congress. 110,000 scores.
African-American Sheet Music, 1850-1920. Approx. 1,300 pieces from the collections of Brown University and cataloged at the Library of Congress.
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General references & resources
Articles about deep practice on The Musician's Way Blog.
Multimedia Music Dictionary from Virginia Tech.
Stylistic Timeline of Music History, by Steven Estrella.
BestMetronome.com. Customizable beat rates; also a tool to tap in a beat rate.
Teoría.com. MusicTheory.net. Practice basic music theory and ear training.
Good-ear.com. Free online ear trainer. Dictation exercises from davesmey.com.
Theory worksheets. Print out and practice intervals, triads, and more.
Worldwide internet music resources and Special collections, from the Indiana University Music Library.
Internet Resources for Music from the Library of Congress.
Classical.net. Articles, reviews, and other resources for classical musicians.
Carnegie Hall Podcasts. "On music, music personalities, and Carnegie Hall."
Videos and tips for students and educators from TheLessonRoom.com.
HowToPractice.com. Tips, techniques, and resources by Mike Saville.
Advice to Music Majors, by Prof. David Zerkel of the University of Georgia.
Improvisation resources on MusiciansWay.com are listed under Jazz.
Links to national organizations promoting new music, from the International Association of Music Information Centres.
Proceedings of the International Symposium on Performance Science. Numerous articles summarizing current research.
“Practice,” by Nancy H. Barry and Susan Hallam, in The Science & Psychology of Music Performance, edited by Richard Parncutt and Gary McPherson, 151-166 (Oxford, 2002).
“Strategies for Individual Practice,” by Harald Jørgensen, in Musical Excellence: Strategies and Techniques to Enhance Performance, edited by Aaron Williamon, 85-103 (Oxford, 2004).
Preview “Mental Skills Training," by Christopher Connolly and Aaron Williamon, in Musical Excellence: Strategies and Techniques to Enhance Performance, edited by Aaron Williamon, 221-246 (Oxford, 2004).
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Listening (see p. 98-99 of The Musician's Way)
"Deep listening." An article on The Musician's Way Blog.
Jango.com. Performers: Sign up for a Jango Airplay account and get your music heard by Jango's 7 million listeners.
Pandora Internet Radio (U.S. only). Spotify - free & subscription offerings.
Medici.tv. Free and subscription access to high-quality classical music videos.
ClassicalConnect.com. Free and growing.
Classical Archives. Over 600,000 audio tracks; free and subscription offerings.
PristineClassical.com. Historic recordings remastered by Andrew Rose.
Primarily classical repertoire; some jazz and blues.
Classical Webcast. “An attempt to collect all live-broadcasting classical radio stations on the Web.”
Recordings from Naxos (classical and jazz).
Blue Note records. Jazz recordings and news.
National Geographic World Music.
Affiliated sites:
ArkivMusic.com. "The source for classical music."
iTunes. The music megastore and more.
eMusic. "The iTunes music store's cooler, cheaper cousin." Free trial.
Microsoft Zune Pass. Audio and video; diverse styles.
Live365.com. "The largest radio network on the Internet." Free trial.
Napster. More than 9 million titles. Free trial.
Listen to and watch videos of musical performances on YouTube. Search by performer, composer, and/or title.
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Warm-ups & restorative movements
(see p. 37-39/75-82 of The Musician's Way as well as the For Singers page)
"The total warm-up." An article on The Musician's Way Blog.
“A Proper Warm-up Has Important Benefits.” A 2008 article by exercise physiologist Elizabeth Quinn. Geared to athletes but pertinent to musicians.
Pre-playing warm-ups by the British Association of Performing Arts Medicine (may also be employed post-playing and during breaks). A 3-page factsheet. Please read the abovementioned article by Elizabeth Quinn and study the factsheet instructions before you try out these movements.
Watch a 3-minute video by guitarist David Russell talking about the importance of warming up, practicing first thing in the morning, maintaining a repertoire of accessible pieces, and preserving the fun in music making.
Preview Relax and Renew, by Judith Lasater, Ph.D., P.T. Images and instructions for restorative poses (Rodmell Press, 1995).
Preview The Breathing Book, by Donna Farhi. Instructions and photos for doing restorative breathing and healthful movements (MacMillan, 1996).
“Qi Gong [Tai Chi] Exercises for Musicians.” A 14-minute video by Scott Lee.
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Sight-reading (see p. 99-102 of The Musician's Way)
“Eye Movement in Music Reading.” A well-referenced article on Wikipedia.
Preview “Sight-Reading,” by Andreas Lehmann and Victoria McArthur, a chapter in The Science & Psychology of Music Performance, edited by Richard Parncutt and Gary McPherson, 135-150 (Oxford, 2002).
Preview “Strategies for Sight-reading and Improvising Music,” a chapter in Musical Excellence: Strategies and Techniques to Enhance Performance, edited by Aaron Williamon, 143-159 (Oxford, 2004).
Sight-reading/sight singing methods for instrumentalists and singers:
Solfèges des Solfèges, by A. Dannhäuser (3 vols.). Free download.
A New Approach to Sight Singing, by Berkowitz, Frontrier, & Kraft.
Rhythmical Articulation, by Pasquale Bona.
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Interpretation (see p. 23-34 of The Musician's Way)
Read Musical Interpretation, by Tobias Matthay (Schirmer, 1918).
Note Grouping, by James Thurmond (Meredith, 1982).
Preview The Rhythmic Structure of Music, by Cooper & Meyer (Chicago, 1960).
Preview The Composer’s Advocate, by Erich Leinsdorf (Yale, 1982).
Preview Singing in Style, by Martha Elliott (Yale, 2006).
Preview Baroque Music: Style and Performance Handbook, by Robert Donington (Norton, 1982).
Preview The End of Early Music: A Period Performer's History of Music for the Twenty-First Century, by Bruce Haynes (Oxford, 2007).
Preview Interpreting Bach at the Keyboard, by P. Badura-Skoda (Oxford, 1995).
Read about Deepening Musical Performance Through Movement, by Alexandra Pierce (Indiana, 2007). Purchase at a discount from AbeBooks.com.
Watch videos on YouTube of master musicians teaching interpretation. Search using the keywords, e.g., "Pavarotti masterclass."
Dalcroze Eurythmics. Merging interpretation with movement.
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Memorization (see p. 82-93 of The Musician's Way)
"The four stages of memorization." An article on The Musician's Way Blog.
“Strategies for Memorizing Music,” by Jane Ginsborg, a chapter in Musical Excellence: Strategies and Techniques to Enhance Performance edited by Aaron Williamon, 123-141 (Oxford, 2004).
“Memorization: Psychological Data and Some Practical Tips,” by pianist and educator Dr. Scott McBride Smith.
“Memory,” by Rita Aiello and Aaron Williamon, a chapter in The Science & Psychology of Music Performance, edited by Parncutt and McPherson, 167-181 (Oxford, 2002).
“Singing by Heart: Memorization Strategies for the Words and Music of Songs,” by Jane Ginsborg, a chapter in The Music Practitioner, edited by Jane W. Davidson, 149-160 (Ashgate, 2004).
Read the abstract of “The Value of Performing from Memory,” by Aaron Williamon, in Psychology of Music, Vol. 27, No. 1, pp. 84-95 (1999).
Preview “Memorising Music,” by Aaron Williamon, in Musical Performance: A Guide to Understanding, edited by John Rink, 113-126 (Cambridge, 2002).
Preview “Performing from Memory,” by Chaffin, Logan, and Begosh, in The Oxford Handbook of Music Psychology, edited by Hallam, Cross, and Thaut (Oxford, 2008, p. 352-363).
Read the Preface to Guide to Memorizing Music, by Alfred John Goodrich (1906). The author, more than a century ago, advises musicians to learn their material deeply by “apprehending the design” of a composition.
Preview Practicing Perfection: Memory and Piano Performance, by Chaffin, Imreh, and Crawford (Lawrence Erlbaum, 2002).
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Collaboration (see p. 114-129 of The Musician's Way)
"Toward better collaboration." An article on The Musician's Way Blog.
"Eleven steps to fixing the problem that occurs when you work harder than everyone else in the band," by Bruce Warila. Applicable to all egalitarian groups.
"A Musician's Guide to Middle Management, or Leading a Band," by guitarist Cameron Mizell. From MusiciansWages.com.
“The Role of Chamber Music in Learning to Perform: A Case Study,” an article by Burt-Perkins & Mills, in Music Performance Research, Vol. 2 (2008).
“Strategies for Ensemble Practice,” a chapter by Jane Davidson and Elaine King, in Musical Excellence: Strategies and Techniques to Enhance Performance, edited by Aaron Williamon, 105-122 (Oxford, 2004).
The Chamber Music Network. "A non-profit association that facilitates informal playing and singing by people of all ages and nationalities."
“Collaboration and the Study of Ensemble Rehearsal.” A paper by Elaine C. King published in Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Music Perception and Cognition (2004).
Preview The Art of Quartet Playing: The Guarneri Quartet in Conversation with David Blum (Cornell, 1987).
Preview The Power of Positive Criticism, by H. Weisinger (Amacom, 2000).
Preview Toxic Criticism, by Eric Maisel (McGraw Hill, 2006).
Preview The Complete Collaborator: The Pianist as Partner, by Martin Katz (Oxford, 2009).
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Technology resources (see also Digital recorders and Career resources)
Recording and sound reinforcement articles & guides from Shure.
Mixonic.com. CD & DVD production made easy.
JourneyEd.com. Huge discounts on software for students and educators.
Adobe.com for students and educators. Deep discounts on industry-leading software (MusiciansWay.com was created with Adobe Dreamweaver).
Build a website:
1)
Tech-challenged musicians: Consider Webs.com or Weebly.com - no software or hosting required - or try Wordpress.org, a free platform with diverse themes.
2) Tech-savvy musicians: Buy a domain name and hosting plan: GoDaddy.com. Software: Adobe.com. Free web building tutorials: W3Schools.com.
Notation & composing software at academic price discounts: Sibelius; Finale.
Avid.com (manufacturer site). Home of Pro Tools, M-Audio, Sibelius, Pinnacle, and more. Buy Pro Tools 8 at 50% off from GuitarCenter.com.
FL Studio (manufacturer site). Buy FL Studio 9 at a deep discount from
B&H Photo. Learn about VST plugins for FL, courtesy of Jason Horton.
Cubase 5 music production software (manufacturer site). Buy at 50% off from GuitarCenter.com.
Reezaa MP3 converter. Convert both audio & video. Also check out PDFTiger.
AirTurn.com. Hands-free page turns.
Tipard.com. "Powerful software for iPod, iPhone, iPad."
Pro audio, video, accessories: B&H Photo. AllProSound.com. GuitarCenter.com.
4AllMemory.com. Upgrade your computer memory and run the latest software with optimal speed.
TigerDirect.com. Discounts on computers and hardware.
Computers and consumer electronics: BestBuy.com. J&R Computer/Music World
The Microsoft Store. The Microsoft Education Site.
Technology Institute for Music Education.
Preview “Physiological Self-regulation: Biofeedback and Neurofeedback,” by Gruzelier and Egner, a chapter in Musical Excellence: Strategies and Techniques to Enhance Performance, edited by Aaron Williamon, 197-219 (Oxford, 2004).
“Free Your Mind: A Scientific Approach to Unleashing Creativity,” a 2007 article on MindModulations.com, a site with "the latest on biofeedback, consciousness, neuroscience, and neurotechnology."
PianoPerceptions.com. Dr. Kathleen Riley’s method that combines surface electromyography, video analysis, and sensory awareness training to optimize instrumentalists’ technical habits.
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