Musicianship Mastery with David Lane

Any good music teacher (and even most not-so-good ones) will tell you that slow practice is essential to becoming a better performer, to learning a piece well, and to learning technical skills well. It's that obvious and common of knowledge. However, slow practice isn't limited to a single approach. In this episode, I'm going to talk about the type of slow practice that delays and might even prevent you from learning the music well, and then they type of slow practice that REALLY works well every time!

Book a free trial lesson with me online for piano, music composition, or music theory.

If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice. You can find all episodes of this podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit

You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1

Musicians, as much as anyone, need to take active steps to ensure good physical and mental health. Sitting or standing for long periods can cause neck, back or hip pain. Muscle imbalances are very common. You have to be aware of changing vision especially in the intermittent distance that a lot of eye doctors won't even check unless you request a specific prescription. You need to guard against burnout. This episode will help you conduct your own musician health check-in.

Book a free trial lesson with me online for piano, music composition, or music theory.

If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice. You can find all episodes of this podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit

You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1

As a classically-trained pianist who attempts to accurately follow other composers' written scores as well as being a composer who has distributed detailed written scores to other performers and hoped for meticulous accuracy, I am fascinated by this dance that exists only in classical music of the composer versus the performer. There's a belief that the composer is king and the written score is law. However, few performers want to just be robots who only play what they are told. This episode looks at the history of classical music through the evolution of composer/performer expectations, how to embrace being a performer in this world, and how a composer should adapt their mindset to one of partnership.

Book a free trial lesson with me online for piano, music composition, or music theory.

If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice. You can find all episodes of this podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit

You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1

Where do musicians fit into the near future of this world? It's a world where AI-generated art of all kinds, including music, appear to spell doom for human artists. I have a much more optimistic take, and share how I think both composers and performers should approach this world in a way that acknowledges the situation while also seeing where there are advantages.

Book a free trial lesson with me online for piano, music composition, or music theory.

If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice. You can find all episodes of this podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit

You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1

The word I've been using in both these podcast episodes and with my own students is...urgency! I've also been using it more with myself. I'm on either the 4th or 5th attempt to learn a specific challenging piece to completion. What I've lacked before is urgency. I've given myself the stakes that I need to not just learn this piece "someday", but to learn it by a specific deadline and perform it on a certain date. The results are already way better than they've been on previous attempts. Listen to this episode to understand why you need urgency in your practice and how to apply it.

Book a free trial lesson with me online for piano, music composition, or music theory.

If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice. You can find all episodes of this podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit

You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1

The average person has a fixed mindset. It's safe, it's comfortable, and it's easy to justify. If you want to get better at music, you can't afford to maintain a fixed mindset. You need to commit to a growth mindset. If you don't get this right, all of your other musical goals will fall apart. In this episode, I elaborate on the differences, and talk about what you have to do to fully commit to the only mindset that works for musical growth.

Book a free trial lesson with me online for piano, music composition, or music theory.

If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice. You can find all episodes of this podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit

You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1

Do you really know the music, or can you only play it well under certain conditions? For example, can you only play it at home when nobody's listening? Can you only play it while looking at the score? Do you have to start in a certain place each time? This episode will help you approach your practice in such a way that you can completely and fully actually KNOW your music.

Book a free trial lesson with me online for piano, music composition, or music theory.

If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice. You can find all episodes of this podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit

You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1

If you've followed my previous episodes where I claimed that you should be able to make real progress every 5 minutes of practice, but it seems like you're just not able to get any momentum, it could be a problem with the first two or three minutes that affects a lot more in your life besides music. It is a deficiency you probably have with processing new and challenging music. The good news is...it's common, it's not your fault, and it's very fixable and is very worth taking these steps to improve. In this episode, I'll tell you what the problem is and how you can fix it.

Book a free trial lesson with me online for piano, music composition, or music theory.

If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice. You can find all episodes of this podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit

You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1

Some people find goals helpful, and others don't. If you haven't found goals to be helpful or consistently effective, it's possible that you could change that completely with this one very simple shift in how you frame your vision, whether those be music goals or general goals.

Book a free trial lesson with me online for piano, music composition, or music theory.

If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice. You can find all episodes of this podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit

You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1

There are things you might assume about practicing, using a metronome, what progress is supposed to look like, and more that you'll only learn the truth about once you start practicing well. In this video, I'll remind you about what good practice looks like, and what you can actually expect to discover when you do.

Book a free trial lesson with me online for piano, music composition, or music theory.

If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice. You can find all episodes of this podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit

You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1

About 5 years ago, I was fired from a music gig. It's the only time in nearly 30 years of being a professional musician, and I think about it a lot. There are definitely things I could have and should have done to reduce the chances of that happening, and there are lessons that I could have learned sooner after it happened to move on in a healthier way. This episode is my reflection on what happened in 2021, and what I've learned since then.

Book a free trial lesson with me online for piano, music composition, or music theory.

If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice. You can find all episodes of this podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit

You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1

To become a well-rounded musician, it's worthwhile to engage in a variety of medium sized musical projects to give you new perspective and to help your growth. This episode offers 5 projects you can engage in over the next half year or so to help improve many aspects of your musicianship.

Book a free trial lesson with me online for piano, music composition, or music theory.

If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice. You can find all episodes of this podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit

You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1

The label "professional" is misunderstood across many levels, including music. While the average professional will be more accomplished than the average amateur, the label isn't about skill itself. The term "amateur" can apply to musicians who are just getting started as well as those who have been at it for a while but for whom music is more of something to dabble in as time permits. Then there are the dedicated amateurs, who don't have all the advantages of professionals but do have some advantages of their own, and can have similar musicianship goals. This episode looks at the pros and cons of each approach and what's actually possible for the dedicated amateur.

Book a free trial lesson with me online for piano, music composition, or music theory.

If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice. You can find all episodes of this podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit

You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1

I've discussed Dr. William Schirmer no less than 4 times on this podcast before. He was my music composition professor for 4 years as well as an extremely prolific composer in his own right. He sadly passed away very recently, and this episode is a chance to tell the world more about this bonafide musical genius as well as the lessons he taught me and my friends that still influence how we see the world of music today. Every great musician needs a great mentor, and this is the experience I had with mine!

Book a free trial lesson with me online for piano, music composition, or music theory.

If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice. You can find all episodes of this podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit

You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1

When you get your first gigs for things like weddings, musical theatre, recording sessions, or even film scores and other opportunities, how do you make such a good impression that you rise to the top of the call list and stay there?

As someone who has worked to be top of mind in this area for many such gigs, and as a music director who has hired more than 100 musicians, it's understood that your musical skills need to be good enough for the gig. You don't have to play better than what's required, but you must be able to do that. However, those are minimum requirements. What gets you called back has nothing to do with your musical skill. In this episode, I share my 11 observations for what puts a musician top of mind when I'm looking to hire.

Book a free trial lesson with me online for piano, music composition, or music theory.

If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice. You can find all episodes of this podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit

You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1

What do I wish I had done differently as a piano student? As I look back on my time studying music before I officially began my professional journey, there are several things I wish I had either done better or not avoided the way I did. I hope this video will help inspire you to maximize as well as enjoy the time you have as you study music.

Book a free trial lesson with me online for piano, music composition, or music theory.

If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice. You can find all episodes of this podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit

You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1

What's one thing you can do to get better at playing music sooner? Most students wish they could progress faster, but don't feel the sense of urgency that they should to learn all of their technique, in every key, played as accurately and as fast as possible. Technique is treated as some bit of trivia that might come in handy sometime, when actually...it's EVERYTHING. Give me 20 minutes, and I'll do my best to persuade you why this needs to be your top priority as a music student, how to approach technique, and will use the piano as a means to demonstrate how you can progress through scales.

Book a free trial lesson with me online for piano, music composition, or music theory.

If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice. You can find all episodes of this podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit

You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1

At some point in your music goals, you may want a private teacher. With so many teachers to choose from, how do you find the RIGHT one for you and your needs? In this video, I offer the idea of a menu that you can customize for yourself and use in the interview process of choosing the right teacher. Hopefully I make it clear that I myself am not the right teacher for everyone, but I am for some.

Book a free trial lesson with me online for piano, music composition, or music theory.

If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice. You can find all episodes of this podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit

You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1

Practicing an instrument does NOT require you to spend days or weeks practicing the same music with little to show for it. You can and should change how you structure your practice to always see progress. Practice should be fun, and always seeing progress is how you make sure it's fun. This episode will share how I make sure that I never go any longer than 5 minutes without a LOT of progress.

Book a free trial lesson with me online for piano, music composition, or music theory.

If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice. You can find all episodes of this podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit

You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1

Why is practicing music hard? Why aren't you making more progress than you think you should? There's a mindset skill that is essential to understand and embrace before any other tips or approaches will have any effect on you getting better and better at music.

If you enjoyed this, please give it a rating and review on the podcast app of your choice. You can find all episodes of this podcast at https://www.davidlanemusic.com/toolkit

You can follow David Lane AND the Musician Toolkit podcast on Facebook @DavidMLaneMusic, on Instagram and TikTok @DavidLaneMusic, and on YouTube @davidlanemusic1