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We are proud to say that LivMusic News has over 1300 subscribers from over 40 countries! However, a recent glance at statistics for LivMusic Interactive tells us that there have only been 15 comments made on the blog. You don’t have to be a mathematician to see that only a very small percentage of our subscribers are posting comments; in fact, you don’t even have to be five years old to see it. What could be the reason for this? Are our subscribers simply shy? Let’s see… 1300 trumpet players… shy? I’m thinking not. We believe there are two main reasons that there have been so few comments: the posting process is too involved/complicated, and you have questions or comments that don’t pertain to anything you are seeing on LivMusic. We have made changes to address these issues, and we hope this will make all of you want to throw in your “two cents” from time to time.
To simplify the posting process, we have removed the requirement of having to be registered in order to post a comment. Now all you have to do is click on the title of a post that interests you, read the full post, generate a thought, enter your name and email address in the corresponding boxes, write your thoughts in the comments box, and click “submit comments”. You may be wondering what your email address will be used for. Rest assured, your email address is used only by a site administrator to contact you regarding a post. It will not be published or shared in any way. Of course, if you find that you are posting often and are getting tired of entering your email address each time, then you can register and log in to LMI. That will save you the hassle of entering your information for each comment you make.
To register, simply select the “Register” link under the “Your Account” heading in the sidebar. When you get to the register screen, enter your email address and the username you would like to use on LMI. A password will be sent to the email address you specified, so make sure it is correct. Copy the password you receive via email and paste it into the login screen along with your username. After logging in, you will be taken to our newly revamped control panel, where you should change your password to something that you can remember when you return. To do this, click on the “Users” tab at the top of the page; this will display your profile. At the very bottom of your profile will be two fields where you can enter your new password. Simply enter your new password in each field, and then click “Update Profile” at the bottom of the page. Your password has now been changed.
Another benefit of registering is that you can submit posts for inclusion in the blog. For example, if you have a question about something that I have not discussed, you would register, go into your control panel, click the “Write” tab at the top of the page, and compose your post (including title and category). The HTML tags above the “post” field enable you to insert links and basic formatting in your post. When you are done, simply click “Save as Draft”. The post will then be reviewed, and if it is approved, it will be posted on the blog and open to comments from others. This is a great way to address topics that may be on your mind, but that haven’t been addressed in any of my posts or articles. If you are already registered at LMI, but don’t have a “Write” tab at the top of your control panel page, please email us at lmi@livmusic.com.
We are excited by both the number and quality of the musicians who subscribe to LivMusic. I know that there is an immense amount of knowledge and experience in this group, and I sincerely hope to see comments and posts from all of you in the near future.
Craig,
After I read your article Fundamentally Speaking, I realized that I just needed a gentle nudge to get back into a daily “centering” session. What a difference this has made in my playing! I like the Thompson Buzzing Basics and after only couple of daily sessions, I found that I am able to carry that centered, resonant quality much more easily into the rest of my practice sessions. I envy the fact that you are able to space your practice over the entire day. I will have to tinker with your ideas to get the most benefit from them in a smaller window of practice time for myself. I commented on your article on both TH and TM in a topic that I called “Sharpen Your Sword!” and hopefully people have followed the link to your web site. Really great ideas in your article!
In your article “The Bell End” I certainly agree with everything that you have written. I would love for you to continue with your thought process and expand on these points:
From “The Bell End”———————————————–
Take a particular passage or phrase, and imagine the way you want it to sound. Stop for a second and really visualize it: imagine the musical shape, the tone color, the articulation. Now, with that vision firmly imprinted in your mind, play through the passage.
These skills then become habit, and habit is our greatest ally (as long as the skills that form those habits have been learned properly). It is habit that allows us the freedom to concentrate on the music rather than technique, and it is habit that allows the body the ability to control the various muscle groups on the highest level.
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In the circles that you travel in I’m guessing that hearing an ideal sound in your mind with “clarity and intensity” is almost a given. Many of the fine players that I have sat beside in lessons will listen to a “play back” of what I just played, like there is a CD player recording my sound in their mind. It seems like this is a crucial piece to your discussion. I think that the internal sound concept aspect of this topic could use a complete Article on how to put the image in place.
I’ve written about this in detail, mostly asking questions, and getting feedback from lots of different players / teachers. The first several posts in this link: http://www.trumpetherald.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=22399 get at the heart of this issue for me. I love John Hagstrom’s comments about immersion and the comments from Byron Stripling and Dave Hickman too.
If you could devote a future article on the “how”, related to listening in a way to imprint sounds more prominently in a players mind (with clarity and intensity), I know I would love to hear your ideas. Since I received the comments from John Hagstrom I have been listening to music for as long as it takes to penetrate (sometimes up to a month for a single recording). While I’m sitting at my desk (without the CD player on), I can hear the sound of the recording in my head sometimes. I know that my internal sound signal is stronger than in the past, but it still doesn’t have nearly the clarity and intensity that I feel it should.
I’m sure other’s would benefit from a detailed “listening” article too (how should we be listening to imprint a complete picture of the sound – and make this practice habit)! I can’t be the only one that needs help in this area. No rush on this, but if you need a new topic idea, please consider this one.
Thanks very much!
Derek Reaban
Tempe, Arizona