Two Quotes to Help You Get to the Next Level

"Knowing your strengths and weaknesses is a strength."

-Ranaan Meyer

"You need to be brutally honest with yourself about what you can and can't do on the horn."

-Joe Alessi

Honest appraisal of one's abilities is the first step in improving any skill.  The key is constantly practicing both the things you can do and the things you can't do so your assessment of your own abilities is not out of date.

Do you have an accurate assessment of your strengths and weaknesses today?

Monday YouTube Fix: Ranaan Meyer

Ranaan is one of the greatest bass players in the world and I am lucky to call him one of my best friends.  He is also an incredible entrepreneur and is one of the founding members of the wildly successful trio Time for Three. The bass and the tuba of course have a lot of similarities.  Any time I am having trouble making something sound effortless on the tuba I like to listen to musicians like Ranaan.  The basses limitations are obvious compared to a violin or a trumpet, yet when Ranaan is playing they seem to not exist.  The clarity and "amount" of tone he can achieve on very fast sixteenth note passages in this version of Czardas is nothing short of amazing.

Ranaan is a bass clef inspiration to many.  Enjoy!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFtFXw3FEho]

Monday YouTube Fix: Time for Three

Time for Three is one of the most original and unique sounding chamber ensembles playing today and I am very lucky to call them dear friends.  They are an inspiration to many of us for both their musical and entrepreneurial contributions to the field of music. Leonard Cohen is one of the greatest American songwriters to ever live.  This is a hauntingly beautiful rendition of his iconic 'Hallelujah.' When the music breathes, it breathes in perfect unison.  If you close your eyes and get lost in the music it is easy to forget that this is not one person making these sounds - it is that together.

Watching their communication is a master class on chamber music.  When people say there's no money in music I point to Time for Three.  Create a program that's this unique, this good, and approached with the same entrepreneurial spirit and you will make money every time.

Enjoy!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_SZp_L3q4c&feature=youtube_gdata_player]