“To perform at a high level, you have to attain a kind of unity with your instrument.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 257 Masterful performers exhibit ease in all that they do on stage. Their performances appear easy because they are easy for them, thanks to the...
“Your habits in the practice room make you the musician that you are.” -The Musician’s Way, p. 20 Imagine being on stage, about to begin a performance: Are your thoughts typically focused, or does your mind race? If you feel jittery, do you know how to attain a...
“There must always be a sense of progression or movement towards definite landmarks.” –Tobias Matthay, pianist The Musician’s Way, p. 23 Rhythm comes alive when it propels listeners through a phrase via what we musicians term “forward motion.” Aside from...
“The habits that enable you to perform expressively in public can only be instilled through practice.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 149 When you’re onstage, do you feel secure and creative? If not, the reasons probably stem from the habits you reinforce in practice....
“What is best in music is not to be found in the notes.” –Gustav Mahler (Gunther Schuller, The Compleat Conductor, Oxford, 1998, p. 106) If you’re a classical musician who aspires to a concert career, you’re in danger. In danger of becoming a commodity. That’s because...
“Playing is never difficult; it is either easy, or it is impossible.” -Kato Havas, violinist The Musician’s Way, p. 21 We all love how it feels to play or sing with ease. That sense of freedom we enjoy when physical tension melts away and mental...
