“It’s very gratifying to improvise in front of people. I feel I’m including them in what I’m doing, taking them someplace they might like to go and haven’t been before.” -Jim Hall, guitarist The Musician’s Way, p. 102 Improvisation is the most playful way that we can...
“Only after I have become familiar with the style and character of the work can I start shaping an interpretation.” Yo-Yo Ma The Musician’s Way, p. 24 On a primary level, musical interpretation conveys fluctuations in emotional intensity. And one of the best ways to...
“Collaborative music making is one of life’s true joys.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 114 It’s difficult to describe the magical feeling of synchronized music making. Suffice it to say that when we make music together, we ascend to loftier planes. But to reach...
“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...
“When you step on stage, your awareness of your material will anchor your control and set your creativity free.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 37 Having coached countless aspiring musicians, I’ve found that many commit an avoidable misstep that profoundly limits their...
