The Musician's Way Blog

“Playfulness and creativity go together like music and dance -
one sets the other in motion.”
-The Musician’s Way, p. 312

I just sent out the August 2010 issue of The Musician’s Way Newsletter.

My most extensive issue to date, it highlights online and technology resources for musicians and introduces a cutting-edge way that rising performers can get their music played on Internet radio alongside the tracks of established artists. Continue Reading

Gerald Klickstein

“Amassing the know-how of a professional musician takes time and diligence, but the personal investments you make will bring rewards beyond measure.”
–The Musician’s Way, p. 314

This week marks the one-year anniversary of the launch of MusiciansWay.com and The Musician’s Way Blog. My book The Musician’s Way debuted in August of 2009.

I invite you to join me as I commemorate these occasions.

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“Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.”
–Albert Einstein, physicist

The May issue of The Musician’s Way Newsletter highlights topics such as creative thinking, self-recording, performing on a cruise ship, the evolution of digital archives, copyright law, and more.

You can view the newsletter online via this link. To subscribe, visit this page on MusiciansWay.com. I maintain a strict Privacy Policy and do not share, sell, or rent subscribers’ information.

The May issue features a new look and is being dispatched by the clever primates at MailChimp.com. Published quarterly, it’s free, and recipients can unsubscribe at any time. Enjoy! Continue Reading

In recent years, sources for free online classical music scores have blossomed on the Web.

Here are a six outstanding sites.

Additional websites offering free and low-cost downloadable sheet music can be accessed via MusiciansWay.com under Practice, Instrument-Specific Resources, and For Singers. Continue Reading

I’m pleased to announce that MusiciansWay.com will be a major sponsor of prize money for the junior division of the prestigious American String Teacher’s Association (ASTA) biennial National Solo Competition taking place in 2011. 

The ASTA National Solo Competition has helped launch the careers of many eminent performers, among them, superstar violinist Joshua Bell, who won the Grand Prize in 1981.

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Zoom H2 Recorder

Imagine that you’re watching an artist paint in her studio: She spreads color on canvas, backs up to appraise her work, and then returns to her easel.

Sometimes she brushes briefly and assesses quickly; other times she paints at length before pausing to reflect.

Correspondingly, when we musicians practice, we proceed through cycles of execution, evaluation, and revision.

But there’s a big difference between our medium and that of visual artists because music exists in time, not space.

After we play or sing a phrase, it’s gone, except for our memory of it. Continue Reading

True story: A percussion professor was concerned about the sound levels at his music school, so he purchased a sound meter and sampled the levels in various rooms. He took readings during ensemble rehearsals, private lessons, and practice sessions.

In one of the teaching studios, he asked a horn professor to play an excerpt, and the reading rocketed to 100 decibels.

The percussionist knew that, at 100 dB, a person’s maximum safe exposure would total 15 minutes. Yet the horn teacher often taught and rehearsed in that room all day.

Alarmed, the percussionist asked, “Do you ever have trouble with your hearing?” To which the hornist replied, “What?”

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Welcome to The Musician’s Way Blog.

In this, my inaugural post, I want to explain in a few words my motivation for writing my book The Musician’s Way (Oxford, 2009. 360 pages), creating MusiciansWay.com, and launching this blog.

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