I’ve talked about this before, usually in the context of structuring your practice. Since I’ve done a ton of that, I thought devoting some time to describing the issue itself in some detail might be helpful, so that wherever you…
One of the things I love about working with advanced students (my studio is about 2/3 semi pros) is that they keep me in touch with the gnarliest parts of the repertoire. Just today, I’m getting to revisit Beethoven 6,…
I’ve been in conversation with a few of my more advanced students lately. They’ve adopted many elements of the Practice Modes I’m building a book around, and while they certainly clear the terrain in terms of not allowing gaps in…
If you’re trying to make physical changes in your playing, I highly recommend the following, with the caveat that different brains find different scenarios pleasurable. If playing with your attention split causes calamity, it’s not a problem with you. This…
I have deemed 2026 a year of distillation: to live more faithfully in line with hard earned and well-considered authenticity. And for the moments when those aspects do not inform me, I will be still, and I will listen. I…
Last year, in the dead of winter, Henri had multiple seams open up, requiring a trip to the luthier and a re-evaluation of my humidification infrastructure. You see, Henri actually sounds better and is much easier to play in low…
The end of the year always makes my fingers itch for something new, or something old to make new again. A few years ago, I was inspired by Josh Roman’s Instagram post where he was being adjusted by an Alexander…
Hello friends: just popping in to say hello and drop off a chilled out playlist for the holiday season. If you’d like something less contemporary, here’s the one from last year. I’ve just started reading Katherine May’s book Wintering, and…
The next series of playlists will highlight musicians I feel are doing interesting and important things, so each one will feature one or two artists exclusively. This month is all about Anastasia Kobekina, one of my favorite cellists ever. She…
This year is too much, my friends. I was really making strides—multiple books in progress, regular posting here, applying to doctoral programs, a few speaking engagements and workshops, and renewed inspiration to write and produce music. Starting with my mother’s…