David Salvage’s sent me his jazzy “Swing Tones” when he wrote it in 2006. I finally decided to play it on a recital this weekend. Here is a run through from last week played in my practice room, in front…
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Why I Am a Classical Musician
I carve a tiny piece of wood off the base of the reed. The shaving isn’t much larger than one or two hairs of daily growth on a man’s face. Almost nothing. I put the reed back on the mouthpiece…
Intimacy with your Instrument, part 2
If you think of intimacy with a person, the first words that come to mind are commitment, trust and communication. Also, to be close to someone, you need to know yourself first. That in itself is a lifelong process. No…
Intimacy With Your Instrument
One of the biggest hurdles of longtime professional musicians is maintaining a good relationship with their instrument. Most of us start learning our instruments in Elementary School. How many people are married to their 5th grade sweethearts? For many of…
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The Way It Shouldn’t Be
We played a family oriented program this afternoon. It involved a quick rehearsal followed by an hour long pops concert. The conductor for this event is a long standing regular with us. He has established himself as our main pops…
Practicing Techniques
A musician can never stop practicing anytime in their career. I believe it was the great cellist Rostropovich (or was it Casals) who said, “If I don’t practice for one day, I notice a decline in quality; if it’s two…