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Tag Archive 'Trombone'

Piggyback

When you have a strict practice that doesn’t ignore the weak points of your practice, then eventually you will have good practice. – Shunyru Suzuki, quoted in Crooked Cucumber by David Chadwick A friend of mine, Keith Hill, notes (as have others) that on one level who we are is the sum of how we […]

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Back from a long trip (sans instrument) over the holidays, I am taking notes while sitting at the piano playing scales for the first time in weeks, and anticipating doing the same in a couple days with long tones on trombone.  I am definitely starting over (again). Many people loathe this feeling of starting over […]

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On Being a Smart Athlete

A recurring theme this fall, for me and others: sooner or later many of us experience some degree of injury from the physical aspect of our work or training. I find it useful to think of this in terms of Being a Smart Athlete. In my case this applies to both my music and exercise habits. Some general observations:

1. Musicians are Athletes. Our bodies are our instruments, and we need to monitor and manage them as carefully as would an elite athlete.

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How much practicing?

The most basic part of pursuing music at any level is learning what it means to Honor your Craft.  Many books address this topic – some of my favorites being Suzuki’s Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind (see my first post), Eric Maisel’s Coaching the Artist Within, Eric Booth’s The Everyday Work of Art, and Twyla Tharp’s […]

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Shut up and play

There’s a lot of cross-talk in my life between music and sports, which I imagine is true for many musicians.  The first Sunday in April is the first local road race of the season, the Rome Fort to Fort 10k run.  This year I was excited for the new season, and even played some psych-up […]

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Every note counts

On Sunday, November 7, I’m giving my first recital since the spring of 1996.  It’s at 3 pm at Hamilton College in Clinton, NY (near Utica), in Wellin Hall.  It’s my first recital since changing careers from orchestral playing to conducting, since going back to school and working with some wonderful teachers but also going […]

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Zen Mind, Musician’s Mind

The inspiration for this blog is my favorite book, Shunyru Suzuki’s Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind.  Every time I pick up the baton or the trombone there is the feeling of starting over again from scratch.  Not completely, and not literally – but to some extent we are always beginning. There is, of course, a good […]

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