The Art of Practicing: A Guide to Making Music from the Heart - Paperback

by Deline Bruser (Author), Yehudi Menuhin (Foreword by)

An illustrated guide for the amateur and professional musician that teaches us how to transform practicing from an often laborious activity into an exhilarating and rewarding experience

Foreword by Yehudi Menuhin - "Give this book to any musician you love and to any person who loves what music does for them and for the world."--Richard Stoltzman, clarinetist

In The Art of Practicing, acclaimed pianist and teacher Madeline Bruser combines physiological and meditative principles to help musicians release physical and mental tension and unleash their innate musical talent. She offers practical techniques for cultivating free and natural movement, a keen enjoyment of sounds and sensations, a clear and relaxed mind, and an open heart and she explains how to:

- Prepare the body and mind to practice with ease
- Understand the effect of posture on flexibility and expressiveness
- Make efficient use of the hands and arms
- Employ listening techniques to improve coordination
- Increase the range of color and dynamics by using less effort
- Cultivate rhythmic vitality
- Perform with confidence, warmth, and freedom

Complete with photographs to show essential points of posture and movement for a variety of instruments, this is the definitive guide to turning practice from a sometimes frightening, monotonous chore to a fun, fulfilling activity.

Front Jacket

This landmark book enlightens amateur and professional musicians about a way of practicing that transforms a sometimes frustrating, monotonous, and overly strenuous labor into an exhilarating and rewarding experience. Acclaimed pianist and teacher Madeline Bruser combines physiological and meditative principles to help musicians release physical and mental tension and unleash their innate musical talent. She offers practical techniques for cultivating free and natural movement, a keen enjoyment of sounds and sensations, a clear and relaxed mind, and an open heart and she explains how to
Prepare the body and mind to practice with ease
Understand the effect of posture on flexibility and expressiveness
Make efficient use of the hands and arms
Employ listening techniques to improve coordination
Increase the range of color and dynamics by using less effort
Cultivate rhythmic vitality
Perform with confidence, warmth, and freedom
Photographs show essential points of posture and movement for a variety of instruments.

Back Jacket

This wise and timely book enlightens amateur and professional musicians about a way of practicing that transforms a sometimes frustrating, monotonous, and overly strenuous labor into an exhilarating and rewarding experience. For a great many musicians, poor practice habits destroy the joy of making music and cause tension, strain, and disabling injuries. Acclaimed pianist and teacher Madeline Bruser offers practical techniques for cultivating free and natural movement, a keen enjoyment of sounds and sensations, a clear and relaxed mind, and an open heart. Conveying deep personal understanding of the musician's working life, The Art of Practicing deals with common problems that arise, including impatience, distraction, anger, and stage fright, as well as posture, phrasing, motivation, memory, and other issues that every musician must address to develop his or her skill to its highest level.

Author Biography

Madeline Bruser lectures widely on the Art of Practicing and teaches privately in New York City.