My 7 Most Read Blog Posts in 2013

It's been a busy and very successful year for andrewhitz.com.  I find this hard to process, but this blog was read in over 90 countries in 2013! Thank you to everyone for all of the support.  Truly, it means the world to me. I thought I would compile a list of links for the 7 most read posts for the year.  Again, thanks for reading and may everyone have a wonderful 2014!

Lessons Learned from The Savvy Musician in ACTION Retreat

Chronicling the countless things I learned as a thought leader at this amazing retreat.

Janos Starker's Inspiring Words on Teaching Music

Amazing words from an amazing man.

The 5 Most Influential Concerts I Ever

Everything from the first time I saw Sam Pilafian perform to a rock concert that changed my life.

Phil Smith Sums Up Playing Music

It's almost scary how well he sums up music in so few words.

Are You Ready for the Call?

This colleague of mine at George Mason was ready for a call from the New York Philharmonic when the phone rang one late afternoon about a concert that night. Would you be?

Best Description of Articulation Ever

Michael Mulcahy gave me a brand new prospective on articulation in just 28 words.

The Next Chapter

My announcement that I was leaving Boston Brass and about what was next.

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Again, thank you to everyone who reads this blog and see you all somewhere down the line in 2014!

Eric Dolphy: Monday YouTube Fix

Eric Dolphy was one of many genius musicians who was taken from us way too early.  He tragically died from a coma brought on by an undiagnosed diabetic coma at the age of 36.  Whether he was playing the saxophone, the flute, or as in this clip, the bass clarinet, his phrasing had a purity and urgency that demanded the listener's full attention. As any musician will tell you, playing an unaccompanied solo in any genre is one of the most difficult things to do in music.  Even for a short clip like this one, it is difficult to keep things interesting.  I find this version of God Bless The Child absolutely mesmerizing.  Dolphy's playing is beyond engaging.  So many notes and yet the phrasing, not the virtuosity, stand out above everything else.

He had so much music left to make.  It is a shame we lost him so soon.  And unlike many of his contemporaries who also died at an early age, Dolphy was not involved with drugs and did not kill himself through excess.  Such a shame.

The Art of Musical Deception

"That diminuendo ought to be a deception. We all know it's coming but the audience doesn't." - Sam Pilafian

This was something Sam said to the Boston Brass All-Star Big Band during our rehearsal at Strathmore earlier this month.  We hired members of The Army Blues, The Airmen of Note, The President's Own Marine Band and The Navy Band.  The band was absolutely smoking, one of the best we've ever put together in almost 10 years of doing the show.  And yet we all still needed to hear that advice.

So often I hear my students begin a crescendo just a little before they are supposed to by allowing the volume to inadvertently creep up just slightly.  This also goes for tempo changes which accidentally begin just a touch early.  While I'm not as bad about it as I used to be, I frequently hear myself doing the exact same thing when I record myself in the practice room.

It was truly impressive how much more effective the passage Sam addressed was after he had us keep that diminuendo a deception.  The difference in actaul execution was small but the difference in the effect was enormous.

And if members of the best service bands in the world need to hear that from time to time, it's safe to say that the rest of us do as well.

The Power of Showing Up

"Eighty percent of success is showing up." - Woody Allen

The close of a calendar year is always a great time to reflect on any aspects of our career where we failed to show up in the previous year.  If you planned to learn to improvise, did you start? If you hoped to start a new recruitment initiative for your band, did you get past the brainstorming phase?

Showing up is the key to improvement and innovation.  And constant improvement and innovation are the keys to the music business and all business.

Where do you need to show up in 2014?

Chewbacca Sings Silent Night: Monday YouTube Fix

You really can't make this stuff up. Merry Christmas!

Paul Desmond & Gerry Mulligan - Monday YouTube Fix

I am a huge fan of the recordings Gerry Mulligan did without any chordal instruments, such as this one or the very famous sessions he did with Chet Baker.  Two melodic instruments accompanied by only bass and drums leaves so much room for the music to breathe.  It also gives the songs a transparent quality that makes it very easy to process and very pleasant to listen to. This recording of "All The Things You Are" from 1962 features:

Paul Desmond - Alto Sax Gerry Mulligan - Baritone Sax Wendell Marshall - Bass Connie Kay - Drums

One of the commenters on YouTube linked to a perfect transcription of both solos on adjoining staffs.  Following along with both the solos and the chords is a great lesson.  The internet is filled with nuggets like this, we just have to find them!

Enjoy!

Tolstoy on Music

"Music is the shorthand of emotion." - Leo Tolstoy

Couldn't have said it better myself.

The King's Singers: Monday YouTube Fix

All of the great instrumentalists in the world are simply trying their best to sound like vocalists.  The King's Singers are an impeccable example of blend, ensemble, phrasing, intonation, everything.  They sound like one person singing all of the parts simultaneously. This is a stunning version of The Christmas Song.  It really is remarkable how tight they are.

Enjoy!

Sam Pilafian on the Secret to the Music Business

I am here in Clemson, South Carolina with the Boston Brass All-Star Big Band and just had breakfast with my good friend and mentor, Sam Pilafian, at a Waffle House here in Clemson.  Our conversation quickly turned to the music business and as always, Sam had some really great nuggets of wisdom. One thing he kept referencing in relation to the music business was the "fluidity of battle." He summed this up with the following quote:

"There is going to be change today.  There is going to be change tomorrow.  Will you embrace it or fight it?"

What we were sure of yesterday will not be exactly the same today.  What we think we know today will change by tomorrow.  Do you embrace these facts of fight them? I think we all do a little of both, but the most successful among us embrace these facts at every turn.

(In case you missed it, check out these great quotes on chamber music from Sam Pilafian.)

Phil Smith Sums Up Playing Music

"Music is not just the black dots on the white paper - it's what happens when those black dots on the white paper go into your heart, and come out again." - Phil Smith  (Principal Trumpet, New York Philharmonic)

Thankfully this is true.  If not, he would be the only orchestral trumpet player working today.  Sam Pilafian would be the only employed brass quintet tuba player.  Renée Fleming would be the only working soprano.

Playing all of the right notes and right rhythms is very important, but conveying your opinions and your emotions through those notes and rhythms is what will get you and keep you employed.  Everyone has their own life experiences which is why there is always room for another great storyteller, no matter what the instrument, in the music business.

No one in your audience was there for your happiest moment, your saddest moment or your scariest moment.  These experiences are what we rely on when those black dots on the white paper go into and out of our hearts and into the ears of our audience.