“Repetition inevitably begets habits.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 52 Over the course of our lives, we musicians do a lot of repeating. There’s standard repertoire that we perform for years, and we revisit exercises to keep our technical abilities strong. On top of...
“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...
“You can control your performance but not the result of an audition or a competition.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 221 Whenever you audition or compete, you offer yourself up for criticism. That criticism may be overt, as when judges provide comments, or it may be...
“By safeguarding your hearing, you don’t just look after your music career; you preserve your quality of life.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 278 If you’re fortunate enough to have healthy hearing, it’s likely that you take your ability for granted. Yet...
“The quality of your tone will probably have a more immediate impact on listeners than any other feature of your execution.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 22 We performers know the power of tone quality. Sweet tones can charm, almost like magic, and harsh sounds quickly put...
