“Don’t give notes. Give the meaning of the notes.” –Pablo Casals, cellist The Musician’s Way, p. 34 What does it take to give meaningful performances? To begin with, we have to awaken our imaginations so that every pitch we play or sing vibrates with life. Then,...
“For you to perform with native inflection, you have to listen and listen until you break through to the soul of a style.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 98 We all enjoy listening to music. But there’s a level of musical perception that transcends ordinary hearing. Deep...
“I’m very mistrustful of tactile memory. I think it’s the first thing that goes.” –André Watts, pianist The Musician’s Way, p. 82 Have you ever been blindsided by a memory lapse? Maybe you felt secure in practice, but, during a performance, you blanked on a...
“There is nothing more fatal for our musical sense, than to allow ourselves – by the hour – to hear musical sounds without really listening to them”-Tobias MatthayThe Musician’s Way, p. 16 Imagine that you’re watching an artist paint in her studio: She spreads color...
