“You are the one who will shape yourself into the artist that you aspire to be.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 296 Multitudes of music students take regular lessons. Are young musicians prepared to make the most of their lessons? Some are, but many are not, because, through...
“The details are not the details. They make the design.” –Charles Eames, designer For musicians and designers alike, our approach to detail largely determines whether our work soars or flops. Compare, for instance, these two performers: Musician 1 performs with...
“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...
“The single most important goal for performing artists is to see how they are doing.” –Itzhak Perlman The Musician’s Way, p. 202 Suppose that you’re practicing a new piece. How do you know that one portion is learned securely enough for you to tackle another? Later...
It’s 10:00 a.m., and I’ve already practiced for a couple of hours. I practiced yesterday, too, and I’ll practice tomorrow. Like musicians everywhere, practice is central to the rhythm of my life. What keeps us musicians practicing? Self-motivation is a big part of it....
“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...
