The Inner Game of Playing "Misty"

I recently read Timothy Gallwey's The Inner Game of Tennis, a good that gave me many good insights into how I can be a better volleyball coach. (Not that I coach anything more than rec ball, but still ...)

I knew there was a book called The Inner Game of Music, based on Gallwey's book, so I listened to part of it on my commute. It's not as engaging at The Inner Game of Tennis, but I'm still gleaning some good things from it.

One was this: Friday night when I was trying to record a "perfect" version of "Misty," I decide to stop worrying so much about the notes and just focus on playing it beautifully. After all, I'd learned the notes. I'd drilled the notes. I knew the notes. I was just getting nervous when recording, and that was causing me to forget the notes. I was also sounding a little wooden and not playing as beautifully as I knew I could.

So I focused on beauty as I made video after video of my getting to some point or another before missing. I even went overboard in some ways, slowing more than I should, contrasting the dynamics more than I'm supposed to. And even though I eventually toned it down, I found a few little touches that I kept, like the louder staccato in the transition to the B section.

I finally got an almost-perfect video ... and in the one spot where I paused, I make a face saying, "Yeah, I know I paused there."

I had a lot of fun making the video. Something about knowing I can make faces at the camera makes me less nervous. Makes me feel more like I'm playing for a friend instead of an invisible crowd.

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Picking Up the Pieces

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