The Musician's Way Blog

Mstislav Rostropovich

“You must play for the love of music. Perfect technique is not as important as making music from the heart.”
–Mstislav Rostropovich, cellist/conductor (The Musician’s Way, p. 133)

To practice music is to pursue perfection – or so we often hear.

What nonsense.

Rather, we musicians practice to grow as artists, to achieve excellence, and to share heartfelt music with our listeners.

Sure, public performance obliges us to be accurate. But there’s a big difference between precision and perfection. Continue Reading

“I ignored all my body’s warning signals in the name of ‘dedication’ to what I was doing. I had absolutely no idea that this little problem would in fact threaten my career.”
–Christine Harrison, violinist (The Musician’s Way, p. 238)

We may not like to admit it, but we all have physical limits. And given that music making is so physical, we musicians sometimes exceed our limits, much as dancers and athletes do.

Still, we can prevent minor hurts from escalating into dire injuries, if we’re able to recognize and respond to our body’s warning signs. Continue Reading

“2-to-1 breathing helps reduce, coordinate, and stabilize the activity of the brain and the nervous system.”
–John Clarke, M.D., former Chairman of the Himalayan Institute

If we feel unsettled prior to playing or singing, 2-to-1 breathing is a powerful tool that helps us restore inner balance and kindle creativity.

Repeated for a number of cycles, this exercise triggers an innate calming response that also tempers the fight-or-flight activation brought on by performance nerves.

Here’s how it’s done. Continue Reading

“Like sensuous opening ceremonies,
warm-ups prepare the body, mind, and spirit for making music.”
- The Musician’s Way, p. 37

I always take pleasure in my daily warm-ups. As I open my guitar case, tune, and play my first notes, I feel inspired and grateful to be able to make music.

Students, however, often lack clarity about how they might warm up. So I’ve developed an adaptable six-part framework that both instrumentalists and singers can employ to fashion warm-up routines that fit them. Continue Reading

“Performance anxiety is the kind of problem that rears its ugly head in both straightforward and subtle ways.”
–Eric Maisel, author and psychologist

If you’re an active performer, then I expect that you or a musician you know has taken a beta-blocker to alleviate stage jitters.

This article probes whether beta-blockers are safe, effective, and appropriate for performers to use.

Continue Reading

“Music and rhythm find their way into the secret places of the soul.”
–Plato

All of us musicians know the restorative power of music.

In this post, I briefly look at ways in which we can bring musical healing to those who need it most: patients in hospitals, nursing homes, and comparable care facilities.

Continue Reading

“The better you use yourself, the better you will play.”
–Pedro de Alcantara, cellist, author, and Alexander technique teacher (The Musician’s Way, p. 257)

Music making may be the most integrated of all human activities. It’s no exaggeration to say that singing or playing requires us to coordinate everything that we are – our bodies, minds, and spirits.

Often, however, the rigors of practice and performance cause us to use ourselves in ways that are less than optimal. Continue Reading

Have you ever experienced pain or discomfort as a result of your music making?

If you answered yes, you’re not alone. Continue Reading