I should be writing essays, practicing guitar or doing other school related things right now, but instead I’m indulging in a more independent form of academic bliss. I started this blog in hopes of communicating my thoughts and ideas better (hence, URL: ramblings of an introvert). I really enjoy reading other people’s blogs, but the ones I truly enjoy are usually by professional or amateur writers. I on the other hand am a musician that loves to read, but I haven’t necessarily developed my elementary school dream of being a writer. I will spell check my writings, but I cannot guarantee perfect grammar (which is another thing I hope to work on as I write here!). The rather artsy title of my blog is from the end of one of my favorite books, "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
I recently finished reading “The Garden of Eden,” by Earnest Hemmingway. I found the book extremely enjoyable despite its rather scandalous nature. It was Hemmingway’s last book that was written fully by him, though his son put the manuscripts together. I recommend it to everybody, and it is a relatively quick read.
On a musical note, I’ve gotten into really nerdy musician self-help books. The first one I read was, “The Art of Practicing,” by Madeline Bruser. You know music school is getting tough when you start seeking out self help books! This book really has changed my life though. I found that I was putting a lot of unnecessary tension and psychological frustration into my playing. I then started reading “The Mastery of Music,” by Barry Green. This book is also really good, and filled with interesting stories about concert musicians. He wrote another book called “The Inner Game of Music” and I hope to read that soon too. Maybe I’ll write more about these later because they have a lot of interesting ideas that would be good to both share and process.
I’m working on learning some really cool repertoire right now. I’ve been working on the Duarte edition of J.S. Bach’s 3rd cello suite since last summer, and I’m just starting to get the feel for it. If you are interested in a recording of this, Segovia recorded it and it is on his Bach CD from the “Segovia the Great Master” collection. I almost feel like I’m doing product placement on this blog. I am also learning “Theme and Variations” by Lennox Berkeley and there is a great recording of it by Craig Ogden (who I hope to study with in England for my masters degree). Lastly, I am working on Villa-Lobos’ guitar concerto. It is ridiculously difficult and fast, but I have a feeling it won’t be as hard as it seems once I get the feel for it… still way easier than Bach.
If you would like some musical education, seek out Alex Ross’ blog, “The Rest is Noise.” It is awesome. He also wrote a book under the same title that I hope to read this summer. He is the music critic for the New York Times, and offers infectious insight into classical music.
Thanks for reading!
Chris
I recently finished reading “The Garden of Eden,” by Earnest Hemmingway. I found the book extremely enjoyable despite its rather scandalous nature. It was Hemmingway’s last book that was written fully by him, though his son put the manuscripts together. I recommend it to everybody, and it is a relatively quick read.
On a musical note, I’ve gotten into really nerdy musician self-help books. The first one I read was, “The Art of Practicing,” by Madeline Bruser. You know music school is getting tough when you start seeking out self help books! This book really has changed my life though. I found that I was putting a lot of unnecessary tension and psychological frustration into my playing. I then started reading “The Mastery of Music,” by Barry Green. This book is also really good, and filled with interesting stories about concert musicians. He wrote another book called “The Inner Game of Music” and I hope to read that soon too. Maybe I’ll write more about these later because they have a lot of interesting ideas that would be good to both share and process.
I’m working on learning some really cool repertoire right now. I’ve been working on the Duarte edition of J.S. Bach’s 3rd cello suite since last summer, and I’m just starting to get the feel for it. If you are interested in a recording of this, Segovia recorded it and it is on his Bach CD from the “Segovia the Great Master” collection. I almost feel like I’m doing product placement on this blog. I am also learning “Theme and Variations” by Lennox Berkeley and there is a great recording of it by Craig Ogden (who I hope to study with in England for my masters degree). Lastly, I am working on Villa-Lobos’ guitar concerto. It is ridiculously difficult and fast, but I have a feeling it won’t be as hard as it seems once I get the feel for it… still way easier than Bach.
If you would like some musical education, seek out Alex Ross’ blog, “The Rest is Noise.” It is awesome. He also wrote a book under the same title that I hope to read this summer. He is the music critic for the New York Times, and offers infectious insight into classical music.
Thanks for reading!
Chris
No comments:
Post a Comment