Feb 2What Should I Focus On?I received this comment in response to an earlier post: “If I had a better idea of what to focus on as I practice, I might be able to focus better.” Let’s take a look and see if this idea can help us practice more effectively. Focusing Isn’t Easy Could you focus better…Music Practice3 min readMusic Practice3 min read
Jan 30Consider Your AudienceLong before I called myself a “writer,” I wrote an article for an aikido newsletter. I asked another aikidoka who worked in publishing to check it over. She told me I needed to consider my audience. “Ask yourself with every sentence: Is this necessary? Is it written just for me…3 min read3 min read
Jan 12Accepting CriticismHow to have a more useful response to critiques of your playing — A friend of mine is a concertina teacher. He was approached by a potential student who asked, “Will you critique my playing?” My friend answered, yes, among other things, he would listen and point out areas for the student to work on. The student replied, “That might be hard for…Music Practice5 min readMusic Practice5 min read
Jan 5Paying AttentionI’ve written before about the power of our attention when we practice, and that practicing in a focused and mindful way yields more, and faster, rewards than practicing long hours.¹ Learning to be more attentive, or mindful, when we practice and play is one of the most valuable things we…Music4 min readMusic4 min read
Dec 30, 2022What Can You Let Go Of?As I write, the new year is two days away. Some of us use the date 1/1 as a starting point to set goals, intentions, or resolutions. At this time of year I often recall a concept I read a while back: Instead of listing what I want or plan…2 min read2 min read
Dec 16, 2022The Joy of Playing a Supporting RoleA few days ago I was chatting with a violinist friend. He expressed his opinion that violinists who play first violin in orchestras have a more “attention-seeking” or “look-at-me!” way of playing in general. Second violinists, according to my friend, are happy to play the supporting role, playing harmony notes…Music5 min readMusic5 min read
Dec 8, 2022In Praise of Simple TunesWhen we practice, we mostly work on things that are hard to do. I might work on unisons on the fiddle, or fingering triplets on the accordion, or just practice a tune I love that has a hard passage or is in a weird key. …Music4 min readMusic4 min read
Dec 2, 2022Making Things UpDear Readers, I’m sitting down to write about the practice of practicing after a long hiatus in which I mostly…played! It’s been wonderful to get out of the practice room and (carefully) attend in-person music events: jams, gigs, camps, festivals and performances. My beautiful routine of writing and practicing has…3 min read3 min read
Sep 5, 2022Measuring UpWhen he was in his teens, my husband was a competitive swimmer. For several events he was his country’s national champion. As an adult he continued to swim to stay fit, until just a few years ago when he switched to using a rowing machine. Recently he told a friend…3 min read3 min read
Nov 21, 2021Lessons on “One Point” from Bull DurhamFor some time I’ve been wanting to write about using the aikido concept of one point in playing music. “One point?” laughed my son, another aikidoka, “That’s tough to understand. You’ll have a hard time explaining that.” Challenge accepted. In the movie “Bull Durham,” Annie Savoy (Susan Sarandon) gets rookie…Music Practice3 min readMusic Practice3 min read
