Comments on curly su: I thought I was done...

on the flip side, you offer a good point too on th...

2006-02-17T17:44:00.000-05:00

on the flip side, you offer a good point too on the importance of being solo

ive always wanted to learn violin. if i learn, we can duet!

In my opinion, do not let go of your music for too...

2006-02-16T21:42:00.000-05:00

In my opinion, do not let go of your music for too long. I did (couldn't fit a piano in my college cell - er dorm room) and am having a hard time getting back to it.

i think you need to do a flute gig with U2 -- mix ...

2006-02-16T16:16:00.000-05:00

i think you need to do a flute gig with U2 -- mix it up a bit.

nnttmiahth

(no need to thank me i am here to help -- i've had to start using acronyms so i have more time with my instrument)

Your post reminded me of my quote of the day recen...

2006-02-16T13:27:00.000-05:00

Your post reminded me of my quote of the day recently; "Running is a lot like life. Only 10% of it is exciting. 90% of it is slog and drudge."

There's another quote I remember by some musician; "If I miss a day of practice, I notice. If I miss two days, the audience notices."

And along the lines of Rice's comment, here's what I'm going to tell my girls; "Find something you love to do, then find someone to pay you to do it."

No matter what you do some days you'll feel like i...

2006-02-16T12:10:00.000-05:00

No matter what you do some days you'll feel like it's a waist of time and others you couldn't think of anything you'd be happier doing. Just keep with it, if you get sick of it take a small break and then come back to it.

Glad the music clicked for you! Sometimes I feel ...

2006-02-16T10:16:00.000-05:00

Glad the music clicked for you! Sometimes I feel like I don't know what I want to be when I grow up, either. I guess that's what the journey's for. I'm looking forward to hearing you play next week! :)

I think rundave hit the nail on the head (especial...

2006-02-16T00:32:00.000-05:00

I think rundave hit the nail on the head (especially for not being a musician!). The more you can get out there and do the things that make YOU happy, the more you will enjoy it. The nature of our profession, unfortunately, is that to make a living we have to do things we don't always find inspiring. But if you can play in ways that really satisfy you, I think the good feeling comes back real fast. It sucks that we have to spend so much time playing excerpts and trying to fit into someone else's ideal, when we went into music to be CREATIVE! Find something you love-definitely play with that pianist more, even if it's just reading. When I start to hit the wall, I get friends together to read quartets and get drunk. That always gets the juices flowing.

Ok, this is officially my longest comment ever. Sorry to be so blabby!

Glad u got that feeling back..

Whatever we ...

2006-02-15T22:14:00.000-05:00

Glad u got that feeling back..

Whatever we do in life...there will be drudgery...stuff that we hate to do..but if what we really hate to do is also what we love to do....it ain't so bad.

I guess i am more of pessimistic approach to life. I figure, if I am going to complain about it, I might as well enjoy it.

i have been feeling the same way as you lately. i...

2006-02-15T21:55:00.000-05:00

i have been feeling the same way as you lately. i have been feeling that this music thing hasn't been me lately, because practicing excerpts and the same pieces over and over trying to get them how other people want to hear them isn't me.
when you picture your ideal life, is it in an orchestra or a flute teaching job? is it still your dream job, or do you see yourself somewhere else, doing other things? i ask myself that all the time, and the second that it changes, i know i'll be done.
all i can say is that you've been inspiring to me in all the other things you are doing, like your marathon and tri training.
anyhoo you're self-assured enough to figure it out for yourself. you don't need me to ask you those questions anyway :) no matter what you do, you'll be a meaningful and successful person.

can you tell i'm trying to talk to myself as well? ;)

Do what you love and you will never work a day in ...

2006-02-15T21:37:00.000-05:00

Do what you love and you will never work a day in your life. And remember the grass is not greener.. I made that move once and couldn't go back, thought I would be a lot better off. Your always going to have off days or bad days in work. But most people find every day at work a bad day.

I'm sure its not an easy choice for you. The best of luch with it.

Cheers.

Rice.

PS. No bling. It was just a low-key event. The 10k...

2006-02-15T20:55:00.000-05:00

PS. No bling. It was just a low-key event. The 10km race will have trophies but there will be a stronger field out there.

I'm not a musician by any means, but I'll try and ...

2006-02-15T20:53:00.000-05:00

I'm not a musician by any means, but I'll try and give a running analogy. If you train every day for months or years without ever going in a race or testing yourself against some sort of goal, it will get very boring after a while. You race for the feeling of accomplishment, for the feeling that you've just done something worthwhile with a group of like-minded people.

Maybe you need to get out and do some more performances. Not just rehearsals or exams (kind of like time-trials in training), but performances just for the hell of it, where you get the satisfaction that you have entertained people just for your and their enjoyment.

That's what I reckon, but I'm not a musician, so I don't know if that's how you feel about performing. It's how I imagine musicians feel though.

It's nice to find that magic with something you en...

2006-02-15T20:51:00.000-05:00

It's nice to find that magic with something you enjoy doing. Work, training, hobbies, etc., it all has to be fun in order to do it.

You will find the niche you are looking for.