“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...
“Masterful performers exhibit ease in all that they do on stage.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 21 There’s no better way for us musicians to make our audiences receptive than to project ease and enjoyment from the stage. What’s more, by embodying ease, we facilitate...
“To rely on muscular habit, which so many do in technique, is indeed fatal. A little nervousness, a muscle bewildered and unable to direct itself, and where are you? For technique is truly a matter of the brain.” –Fritz Kreisler, violinist (quoted in, Kato...
“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...
“You’ve got to think about ‘big things’ while you’re doing small things so that all the small things go in the right direction.” –Alvin Toffler, author When we veteran performers practice, we begin with objectives and learning methods in mind. If we’re preparing a new...
