by Gerald Klickstein | Aug 7, 2014 | Entrepreneurship, music careers
“Probe every aspect of what ‘being a successful musician’ means to you.” -The Musician’s Way, p. 302 If you aspire to a career as an independent musician, you’ll find lots of “how to” advice online. This post takes a reverse approach: I...
by Gerald Klickstein | Jun 19, 2014 | music performance, performance anxiety
“The fight-or-flight response works wonders when you’re standing on a sidewalk and a piano is falling from a building above.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 135 Shaky hands, racing heartbeat, queasy stomach – all manifestations of a nervousness that...
by Gerald Klickstein | Jun 1, 2014 | creative process, music performance, music practice
“Whatever music you play or sing, your objective is to express musical ideas, not spew out notes.” -The Musician’s Way, p. 24 Accomplished musicians bring vibrancy to every sound they make – there’s an emotional power to their music that...
by Gerald Klickstein | Mar 16, 2014 | creative process, music performance, music practice
“Being a musician isn’t about pursuing some nirvana of artistic enlightenment; it’s about endless refinement and discovery.” -The Musician’s Way, p. 110 This blog and The Musician’s Way book explore diverse strategies to practice deeply and...
by Gerald Klickstein | Feb 17, 2014 | creative process, music performance, music practice, music technology, Self-recording
“Keen self-listening is central to musical excellence.” -The Musician’s Way, p. 16 Without the ability to hear ourselves precisely, we can’t perform to professional standards nor solve problems in practice. Fortunately, today’s digital recorders empower us...
by Gerald Klickstein | Jan 14, 2013 | memorization, music performance, performance anxiety
“Performing from memory can be a beautiful thing.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 82 As someone who has performed countless solos, I know the upsides and downsides of playing with or without a score. We musicians often debate whether to memorize or not, so...
by Gerald Klickstein | Oct 9, 2012 | music performance, music practice, performance anxiety
Mindfulness Gives Performers an Edge Those of us who watch athletic competitions such as the Olympics witness some athletes who triumph and others who choke under the stress of performing. What differentiates those two groups? I’ve probed that question for...
by Gerald Klickstein | Jul 5, 2012 | creative process, music practice
“One should hunger after the whole concept, the whole mood, what the music stands for.” –William Pleeth, cellist The Musician’s Way, p. 71 When we approach an unfamiliar composition, I recommend that we map out a preliminary interpretation before we deal with...
by Gerald Klickstein | Jun 24, 2012 | music performance, music practice, stage presence
“You must start well, and you must end well. What is in the middle is not so important because no one is listening then.” –Maurice Chevalier, singer & actor The Musician’s Way, p. 180 I chuckle every time I read Chevalier’s words, but they...
