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EXCLUSIVE / 09.03.16

LIVE in THE SPOTLIGHT

The focus of this blog is to explore the practices, attitudes and motivations of successful artists and musicians in the autumn of life.

How to practice: exploring strategies and tactics in an aging body through book reviews, interviews, personal anecdotes, with the goal of staying happy, healthy and focused.
Attitude: what it is a good attitude, how does helps us to learn and persevere, which daily tactics help us to acquire or keep a good one, what to do if yours needs a tune up?
Metacognition: what it is, what it can teach us about learning, resources for study, conferences, and in practice.
Intrinsic motivation: what it is, how it helps us to learn and persevere as we age, how to help those we mentor with theirs.

Tweets by @davidstory1

Keeping it real by mixing it up with Younger Musicians

4/30/2018

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Miles did
Chick does it

Hiring younger musicians to keep it real. I'm not hiring anymore, but getting out there and jamming with younger musicians is fun. A couple of tips, some of which I've learned the hard way:

Keep your mouth shut. Nobody cares what you've done in the past including who you've worked with, no matter how famous.
Let them call the tunes.
Keep your solos brief.
Be a gentleman around women at the jam. Old attitudes have no place in the modern world.
Don't drink, thus reducing back sliding on tips 1 to 4

Cheers,

David

Victor Wooten Metronome Exercises: Let's get our timing together with these hair raising exercises. Good luck.

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Staying in the game

4/5/2018

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To quote Nike: Just do it. But, staying enthusiastic takes some work. Sometimes the vegetative state, induced by Netflix binging, is seductive. Some tips:

Hang out with younger people, but keep your mouth shut. Nobody, but nobody wants to hear about the "good old days". Let some of that energy waft over you.
Learn something new in your field. I went to college 40 years ago. Maybe I'm a little out of date. :-)
Clean out the music collection and start over from scratch.
1. http://www.jazzwisemagazine.com/artists/14787-top-20-jazz-albums-of-2017
Get the bike out of the garage and go for a ride in the woods.

Best,

David

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Letter to my younger self

4/5/2018

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Dear Dave:

Learn to practice young man, it is the skill that keeps on giving, forever.
Learn to count, it’s worth millions. Really!
Pick a wife very carefully. Lust and loneliness is a seductive trap when you are young. (I’m second time lucky.)
Work out, your health is the foundation of all ambition. “Get thee to the gym!”
Always play with the A crowd, many times they will say no, but enough of them will say yes that the band will be smokin'. You are judged by the company you keep.
Dress sharp, groom carefully. First impressions count. And, nobody wants to associate with someone who looks broke, except other broke people.

Cheers,

David

This arrived in the mail yesterday. I'm excited to start reading.

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Author

David Story: Professional pianist, drummer, composer, and educator. Well into his 4th enthusiastic musical decade, David works with adults pursuing musical dreams in the autumn of life, while he maintains an active presence in the Toronto arts scene.

LIVE in THE SPOTLIGHT

Keeping it real by mixing it up with Younger Musicians

Staying in the game

Letter to my younger self

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