Re: How My Life Was Changed
Thanks for reposting, how nice to see this thread again! It reminds me of that time, John speaks of here, right after he graduated from Berklee. It was the same time as I arrived there, and almost immediately I went out and took a lesson with John. Pretty soon he was playing his @$$ off in two of my student recitals. I still have that recording somewhere. . . .
John's advice here is excellent, about the mirror and the self-diagnosis. I still use a mirror in my practice space for the same reason, and it still helps. The link to his right hand advice reminds me of the ways in which our paths diverged, as players and as teachers. (for a discussion of the medium-pick perspective, check out Simon Mayor's books.) John had great tone and was good at teaching others tone production, but there are other schools of thought too.
John was an inspiration and a challenge to us all -- I love the way in this post he challenges us to be our best, and avoid all the self-destructive patterns we too often get caught up in. I think, for those of us who knew him from this online community, John will continue to inspire and challenge us for a long time.
Exploring Classical Mandolin (Berklee Press, 2015)
Progressive Melodies for Mandocello (KDP, 2019) (2nd ed. 2022)
New Solos for Classical Mandolin (Hal Leonard Press, 2020)
2021 guest artist, mandocello: Classical Mandolin Society of America
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