“No pitch is merely a pitch; each one has a living quality.” -The Musician’s Way, p. 20 The February 2013 edition of The Musician’s Way Newsletter has arrived in subscribers’ inboxes and is being widely shared. As usual, the newsletter incorporates more than 15...
“Performing from memory can be a beautiful thing.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 82 As someone who has performed countless solos, I know the upsides and downsides of playing with or without a score. We musicians often debate whether to memorize or not, so...
“Rich artistic futures await the musicians who are unafraid to cut loose from predictable moorings.” -The Musician’s Way, p. 109 The December/January edition of The Musician’s Way Newsletter looks into creativity-boosting strategies, low-cost CD/DVD production...
Mindfulness Gives Performers an Edge Those of us who watch athletic competitions such as the Olympics witness some athletes who triumph and others who choke under the stress of performing. What differentiates those two groups? I’ve probed that question for...
“Music is a performing art. . . . It isn’t there in the score.” -Michael Tippett, composer (The Musician’s Way, p. 152) The October/November edition of The Musician’s Way Newsletter has landed in subscribers’ inboxes and is being forwarded widely. The newsletter...
“A concert may end when the applause fades, but your artistic work and your responsibilities as a performer are far from complete.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 196 As you exit the stage at the end of a performance, how do you typically feel? Then, when you interact with...
“I don’t say that I never feel fear before a performance, but I have learned to channel it.” –Claudio Arrau, pianist The Musician’s Way, p. 162 Imagine that you’ve arrived at a venue 90 minutes before you’ll perform. You have to set up the stage, check the...
“You must start well, and you must end well. What is in the middle is not so important because no one is listening then.” –Maurice Chevalier, singer & actor The Musician’s Way, p. 180 I chuckle every time I read Chevalier’s words, but they...
“The beauty in playing the instrument is not to be better than the next person but to stay true to oneself, to set one’s own standards and keep to them.” –Andrés Cárdenes, violinist The Musician’s Way, p. 305 In many ways, we succeed or flounder as...
