“Like sensuous opening ceremonies, warm-ups prepare the body, mind, and spirit for making music.” – The Musician’s Way, p. 37 I always take pleasure in my daily warm-ups. As I open my guitar case, tune, and play my first notes, I feel inspired and...
“The better you use yourself, the better you will play.” –Pedro de Alcantara The Musician’s Way, p. 257 Music making may be the most integrated of all human activities. It’s no exaggeration to say that either playing instruments or singing requires us to coordinate...
If you’re a rising musician, you’ll probably have opportunities to perform in competitions. This post will help you decide whether a particular contest is right for you. First, by “competitions,” I’m referring to events organized for students, amateurs and...
“Only accessible material enables students to acquire the habits of mastery that beget secure, artistic performances.” Time and again, when I hear students audition, some will attempt to perform music that’s beyond their capacities. “This’ll be...
“When we practice deeply, we can trust ourselves and execute without forcing.” When you confront a technical challenge in your music making, does a voice within you ever say, “Try harder”? I get the impression that many rising musicians believe that trying...
Have you ever experienced pain or discomfort as a result of your music making? If you answered yes, you’re not alone. Musicians and Injuries As I describe in The Musician’s Way, musicians frequently incur injuries, particularly to hands, limbs, backs, necks, vocal...
“The real reason that I haven’t performed live for a long time is that I have very severe hearing damage.” -Pete Townshend The Musician’s Way, p. 277 True story: A percussion professor was concerned about the sound levels at his music school, so he...
