The Musician's Way Blog

“The creative mind plays with the objects it loves.”
–Carl Jung, psychologist (Psychological Types, p. 123)

Can intense practice be both productive and playful?

That is, can we zero in on specific tasks in practice and feel exuberant at the same time?

Absolutely! And I think we’re at our most creative when we do. Continue Reading

“How can we have a goal in practice, feel inspired by a sense of purpose and direction, and yet avoid becoming caught in a tangle of straining and striving?”
–Joseph Goldstein, author (Insight Meditation, p. 29).

Have you ever felt entangled by your musical aspirations, swamped with music to practice and skills to master? Many young artists do.

Then, owing to overeagerness, students often bypass doing the slow, deep practice that’s required for them to reach their goals. Continue Reading

“When, through repetition, you practice being inventive and playful, your concerts will resound with those same spontaneous traits.”
–The Musician’s Way, p. 53

We musicians do a lot of repeating. In practice, we necessarily repeat material to refine our skills, assimilate compositions, distill interpretations, and keep our repertoire strong.

How can we cultivate artistry through repetition and avert staleness? Continue Reading

Andre Watts

“I’m very mistrustful of tactile memory.
I think it’s the first thing that goes.”
–André Watts, pianist (The Musician’s Way, p. 82)

Have you ever been blindsided by a memory lapse? Maybe you felt secure in practice, but, during a performance, you blanked on a passage.

I suspect that every musician has felt the jolt of memory slips.

I also believe that memory glitches could be far less common because secure memorization involves concepts and skills that any musician can learn.

This post summarizes a 4-part framework that helps both singers and instrumentalists become masterful memorizers. Continue Reading

Paul Simon

“If you start with something that’s fake, you’re always covering your tracks.”
–Paul Simon, singer-songwriter

Is there really a fast track to mastering an unfamiliar composition?

I’m convinced that there is. And its use can not only speed up the learning process but also unleash boundless possibilities for artistic growth.

Ready? The ultimate practice shortcut is: Continue Reading

Let’s say that you’re about to practice a new piece of music: What’s your typical plan of attack?

Researchers have observed that expert and student musicians display profound differences in their approaches to new material, and those differences lead to huge disparities in performance quality.

Nonetheless, I’ve found that students can employ high-level practice strategies and perform expertly. But those strategies have to be learned. Continue Reading