by Alycs » 31 Jul 2013 18:00
Really the only reason I know him is because my dad really likes British rock and he occasionally plays King Crimson. (And because he loved David Bowies "Scary Monsters and Super Creeps" and hes on the little back cover thing that I read when I was bored on car trips)
As to the actual advice, I have to agree that it is very solid advise (especially the part on how you should practice practicing). While it was a very nice read, I'm not sure if I agree on the practice of building on habit. There is a certain level of reflex needed to play music, especially contemporary or baroque, which relies so much on single handed polyphony that its folly to try to play it without a bit of muscle memory, but I've also found that its usually better to be consciously aware of what you are doing when you are performing - in a concert setting especially, muscle memory is almost always the first thing to go if you get nervous; but a certain level of intellectual mastery allows you to continue performing regardless.
Other than that, I found it a very good read, though most of the information is nothing especially new (just nicely worded and arranged)