"Someday soon bands, choirs, and orchestras will gather together again. the conductor will signal for the first note to sound, and musicians will remember it's hard to read music with tears in their eyes." Anonymous internet meme

Forty five years ago Linda, my girlfriend, and I travelled from North Bay to Toronto to take in the spectacle. This past week I was teaching a 5 year old how to play along on the drums. 
​Life is exciting. 

David

​It arrived, I've read it, I'm about to try it out for 90 days and see what happens to my drumming. 
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Benny outlines the rationale of organized practice is a humorous and unique way. The preamble until you get to his EPM systems chapters is good sense and common knowledge among professional musicians. But it gets interesting with his practice system.

Let's start at the beginning.

Organizing your practice space. He recommends imagining the setup of your perfect space, then assess your situation and arrange you space as close as you can to this ideal.  I can now say my space looks different. I'm up and running now with 3 flicks of switches, boot my DAW, load the preset and Bingo, I'm ready to go. Books are in place, pencil and journal are ready. Up next a kitchen timer, I'm going to use an old iPhone for this purpose.  Benny Greb has some true insights into learning. 

Next...
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1. Quickly name your favorite musicians of your instrument.
2. Now note what you admire about each of them.
3. Now consider your top 3 choices.
4. Now rate yourself 1 to 10 on your skill with the qualities you admire in their playing. Do not give yourself a 5.
5. Now when you practice, practice those to improve those qualities.
6. Buy his book.

Stayed tuned for the results of his 90-day practice regime. 
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​David Story

1. Who is David Story?
2. We want David Story.
3. We want someone like David Story, but younger.
4. Who is David Story?

It is important to know where you are in this timeline/curve. Some distinctions I've noticed. At the introductory stage you are selling hard getting your name out there and demonstrating your competence. In the growth stage, clients are calling, price goes up. Maturity stage, they start looking for someone like you, but younger and cheaper. Warning, warning! Stage 4, it's over. Time to move on. 

​David

​1.     Find new folks to play with. I did it a decade ago, it's taken me around the world. Got me out of more than one rut. The picture above is one example: Preservation Hall New Orleans, yep that happy guy is me. 
2.     Change instruments. I teach piano, I live for the drums. An instrument I took up over a decade ago.  It changed everything. Made all the old jazz and rock repertoire I'd be playing for years new again. 
3.     Musicians don't retire, they just change bands. Good advice from a forgotten source. Just be gracious as you step aside into less demanding formats. The pressure is off, have fun.
4.     Teach the younger generation. Be open to learn from them. Help them, but realize they are entering a different world than the one you are leaving. 
5.     During these times, the world's best are mostly sitting at home. Call them, book a class or two. They'll be happy to hear from you, you'll be happy to have met them. 
6.     Learn a new musical skill from a reputable source. Good deep. Check out Berklee online: Individual Courses | Berklee College of Music
7.     Play music with your spouse. Suck it up, have fun. Especially if they are not professional. The feeling is great. I know firsthand. 

​Have a great year, 

David