“There is No Magic Trick, You Just Have to Do It” (Stephane Wrembel on Practice)

Stephane Wrembel was one of 20 stellar professional musicians who shared his take on practice with me, and one thing he said sticks out more than anything else. He stressed that there is no magic trick, no gimmick, no special technique to practice. He said, “You just have to do it.”

Even after talking to so many people about practice, it’s not clear to me whether learning to practice can be taught. Everybody I spoke with said that, for the most part, they just had to figure out how to practice. It’s an intensely personal exploration. Still, I do believe that the more information you have while you’re learning, the better. Check out the latest video from Stephane Wrembel. It’s amazing to see great musicians play up close for a lot of reasons, but what always intrigues me is that, despite playing fast and intense music, great musicians like Stephane Wrembel look physically relaxed. Check it out.

Stephane also has some great rhythm section tracks over at his web site. They’re great for playing along with Gypsy standards. Well worth grabbing, and they’re all free.

In other news:

The Kickstarter for The Practice of Practice was successful! Thanks so much to all the awesome backers! Editing the book and printing hardcover copies is now in process and the book will be published in July ,2014. You can sign up securely to get a note and a discount when The Practice of Practice is published.