In this series, I'll do my best to help you understand what it takes to be an excellent musician and give you as many techniques as I can to take you to the top. You're about to see two sides of me. One side is called tough love. That side of me … [Read more...]
Protect Your Playing With These Hand And Finger Safety Tips
Here's the story. About two years ago I was at a Halloween party and it was off the hook. The dance floor was packed and I was tearing it up. You know, back in the day, I was a pretty good break dancer. So when the dance circle formed, I was first to … [Read more...]
There Is Nothing Boring In Life. Only Boring People.
There is a common misconception that "things" can be boring. You may find doing your taxes boring. But some people find it riveting. Therefore, we can't say that doing taxes is boring. "It" is not boring. Then what part of that sentence or thought is … [Read more...]
Precocious Predictions – Debunking The Mozart Myth
This article by Eric Wargo was inspired by an address Malcolm Gladwell gave at this year's Association for Psychological Science Convention. To be a prodigy in music, for example, is to be a mimic, to reproduce what you hear from grown-up … [Read more...]
Experts on Expertise — Practice Makes Perfect
...the key to dramatic improvement in any field is -- that's right -- practice. But, it has to be what Ericsson calls "deliberate practice." "A lot of people like to do things that they're already good at, but what deliberate practice says is you … [Read more...]
Absolute Pitch Ear Training Podcast 10-06-06
Topics covered: The art and craft of absolute pitch hearing. Download: Absolute Pitch Ear Training Podcast 10-06-06 … [Read more...]
What Is Your Musical Dojo?
Joe Hyams author of Zen in the Martial Arts tells us what a dojo is: A dojo is a miniature cosmos where we make contact with ourselves--our fears, anxieties, reactions and habits. it is an arena of confined conflict where we confront an opponent who … [Read more...]
Understanding The Art And Craft Of Absolute Pitch Hearing
Learning to hear with absolute pitch requires both talent and tenacity. Little talent? Tenacity can help get you there. But if you lack tenacity, then you won't even have the desire to learn. But focus on the reasons why you want to hear with … [Read more...]
Hack Your Musical Mind
From Mind Hacks: All abilities are skills; practice something and your brain will devote more resources to it. Brain scanning of musicians has shown that they have larger cortical representations of the body parts they use to play their … [Read more...]
Sensory Acuity Exercises: Acuity Stretch
Sit in a public place where you can see and hear other people interacting (restaurants or coffee shops are perfect). Watch their interactions and try to determine from their nonverbal communication the subject matter of their interactions. Does the … [Read more...]