by Gerald Klickstein | Jul 11, 2018 | creative process, injury prevention, music practice
“Ten dubious repetitions plus a single accurate one don’t equal security.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 52 Naïve practicers might repeat a passage profusely and make error after error. Then, on the eleventh try, when it finally comes out right, they say, “There, I’ve got... 
by Gerald Klickstein | May 15, 2018 | creative process, music practice, The Musician's Way
“Whatever music you play or sing, your aim is to express musical ideas, not spew out notes.” The Musician’s Way, p. 24 Many years ago I had lunch with two veteran music teachers who advocated what I call the “notes first” practice method. In their estimation, students... 
by Gerald Klickstein | Mar 6, 2018 | collaboration, creative process, music careers, music practice
“Collaborative music making is one of life’s true joys.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 114 It’s difficult to describe the feeling of synchronized, communal music making. Suffice it to say that when we make music together, we ascend to loftier planes. But to... 
by Gerald Klickstein | Dec 13, 2017 | creative process, music practice, The Musician's Way
“There can be so much to cover in a practice session that it can seem overwhelming.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 6 Even for professional musicians, it isn’t easy to manage large numbers of practice tasks. But whatever our level of musical development, all of our... 
by Gerald Klickstein | Oct 14, 2017 | creative process, music practice
“To get to authenticity, you really keep going down to the bone, to the honesty and the inevitability of something.” –Meredith Monk, singer & composer (The Musician’s Way), p. 19 Although we musicians practice in personalized ways, there are three fundamental... 
by Gerald Klickstein | Jun 17, 2017 | creative process, music literature, Self-recording, The Musician's Way
“When musicians with scant listening experience try to play or sing repertoire from unfamiliar genres, they produce the musical equivalent of a clumsy accent.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 98 Most of us can recall hearing music that left us cold initially but that we...
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