Musical Notes

Things I am thinking about this week…

The necessity of hearing the music in your head before you play it and developing your creative vision. I remember Mr. Winstead amazed me that i could go through tricky passages by playing the first note, getting the fingers and breath ready for the next note and not letting it sound but only hearing it in my inner ear. I was adding just one note at a time while hearing the upcoming note in my mind only and it really helped me clear up a lot of precision problems with finger glitches or intonation slips. And even though you make music with your mind and heart first….

You have to let it sound, play it through to the end, play it for a friend, be picky with yourself and friends to bring out the beauty of each phrase. “If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced,” was a quote from Van Gogh that my daughter Danielle shared with me. We get the privilege of decorating the air with our sounds. I aim to be bold and respectful of the privilege. I am doing a better job guarding my practice and composition times. Even a simple written plan and a timer can help me remember there will be time to deal with my many distractions and pressing needs LATER! Thanks for reading, what are you all thinking about in your musical endeavors?