The Practice of Practice

Is it the singing or the social interaction that makes us happy? Maybe it’s both. Somebody needs to compare choir singing with singing alone. Any researchers out there? Click through to check out this brief summary: The psychological effects of singing can help prevent depression due to the social and educational opportunities. See the psychological…

Duke Ellington was among the preeminent American composers of the 20th century, and the most exhaustively studied of all jazz artists. There are more Source: Hear the Earliest Surviving Radio Broadcast by Duke Ellington, A Historic Find, in Deep Dive | WBGO

Chapter 4 in The Practice of Practice briefly covers how myelin can help the brain perform more efficiently. I got to wondering how myelin actually works. Here’s a good explanation:

This.

If you’re even remotely interested in composition, songwriting, or practice, you should have a listen to this. Prince, in his studio, noodling with ideas. It’s like he’s in the back room, just hanging out, playing. He might have the sniffles. The album/demo, A Piano & a Microphone 1983 was just released. Check out samples from all the tracks…

Nothing about practice, or music, apart from one composer’s motivations and inspirations, but still fascinating. Grainger is one of my favorite wind ensemble composers. Check his discography.   Source: The Lust Branch: “Private Matters” of Eccentric Musician Percy Grainger – Atlas Obscura

Mastery, by Robert Greene, is a book you should read/own. Want to listen to it? If you’re new to Audible, you can get it for free! Here’s a quick summary of Mastery:

Dan Piraro: One of the funniest comedians out there: Bizarro Blog, Cartoon Archive, Shop, Secret Symbols Source: Bizarro by Dan Piraro – Bizarro Blog, Cartoon Archive, Shop, Secret Symbols

Pro Tip: Replace every business (or other reference) with “music.”