I've spent most of today practicing, programming and writing vocal arrangements. At this moment, running more music through my head is just about the worst thing I can imagine.

By any measurable standard, I've been primarily involved with music, and specifically the piano, all my life. And if you stick with any one thing long enough, an interesting thing happens. Somebody shows up in your brain. Somebody who does that one thing all by themselves. One of the chess grandmasters (I don't remember who) said, essentially, that after you reach a certain level of proficiency, you don't make decisions - you just watch the pieces move.

That person in your brain is a flipping nag. He (and I'm pretty sure it's a "he" - I was raised to believe that no woman would be this inconsiderate) continually does the mental equivalent of tugging at your sleeve, and saying, "Play this in your head!" "Figure out this voice leading!" "Try THIS chord!". Sheesh.

One of the few things that'll put a lid on that guy is reading - which is funny, because something that has stayed with me all my life is a self-congratulatory piece that Reader's Digest wrote about the debut of their Braille edition. They had an interview with George Shearing, who said (sic)"There are many days that go by where I don't play the piano, but I can't go a day without reading." TV doesn't do it - I don't hear background music the way most people do.

I started taking piano lessons when I was three, and music has been my constant companion (I will NOT say "dark traveller") ever since. It would be surprising if a love/hate relationship didn't develop.

Another story I love to tell comes from Pablo Casal's biography. He was Basque, and would frequently come back home to hike in the mountains. One time, he was hiking with a group of people, and they got caught in a rockslide. Casals was knocked unconscious. When he came to, he was covered in stones of various sizes. He was afraid to move, not knowing what bones might be broken. As he told his biographer, "The first thing that went through my mind was 'Thank God I never have to play the cello again!'".

Sometimes the rockslides are metaphorical, but they're not any less a hindrance. My students, and younger musicians in general, may read this and say, "I could never get tired of music." I would respectfully point out that people who say that are at a point in their musical development where the majority of things they're doing are new to them. Don't get me wrong - I can always find something new & challenging in a musical situation. But it gets harder and harder the older you get. And there are undeniably times when you hit the familiarity saturation point way too soon. And that guy can NAG...

So.....I just may read some James Tiptree, Jr. tonight. He (yeah, I know - she) always shows me a place and then says, "Go on - fill in the details." I think tonight I'll make it a very quiet place.

I posted this before on the facebook, and I'd like to refine it a little. It's about playing the KB2 chair for 'The Book of Mormon'. I have a couple of shows behind me, and I've had some time to consider...and I feel pretty much the same way.

So far, I've managed not step on my own, um, foot - but not by much. As Paul Ferguson said, 4 billion Chinese don't give a rat's ass how I play the show. But what good is having a blog and not using it to bloviate?

The idea of putting more and more orchestration in the synthesizer books has been around for quite some time. I've had people share their opinions with me about synths as a substitute/replacement for orchestral instruments since the mid '70s. Sometimes those opinions are thoughtful and well-reasoned, and sometimes they are less so. At one time, I was quite comfortable with the idea, because, after all, it was me doing the playing (and getting the paycheck). And, at the end of the day, we weren't fooling anybody - the synths didn't sound "real".

But technology marches on, and I find myself playing a book that has triggers of quite realistic  four- and eight-bar samples of African flute - that happen in the middle of phrases where I'm playing marimba in the left hand and strings in the right hand. I don't know of anyone who would be able to remember and realize the sequence of articulation styles required in this book.

Many people responded to my earlier post, saying, in effect, "Too bad. You took the gig. Suck it up and play it." That wasn't the point I was trying to make. This is indicative of what I think is a bad direction in live music - "let's save money and just put it in the synth book." There's no percussion book in this show! It's me.

The suspension of reality has been around in recorded music for almost half-century now - ever since the advent of multi-track recording, you could create a virtual ensemble that could not reasonably exist. These sounds were (rightly so) justified as "the new orchestra". Live music (and live theatre) is a different situation. If they staged chorus scenes with video projections of additional dancers, audiences would be up in arms. That's because, as audiences, we like knowing that the company, from pit to backstage to star, is making an effort for us - showing us the miraculous achievements that the human race can do. It's the unspoken agreement that has always existed between performer and audience.

When people look down in the pit at this show, the reaction is generally not "How do so few people make so much sound?". It's more like an obscure disappointment.

I realize there's a financial aspect to these things. I realize that musicians cost money. But I think that, for several reasons, this is not a good way to go - especially with this show. It's in town here in Cleveland for three weeks, and they're saying that every show is sold out. Dress circle tickets are $130, which is a new record for Playhouse Square. Other shows with similar musical requirements have addressed the problem in other ways - I refer you to the pit of 'The Lion King'.

The other points I mentioned in my earlier post - the problem of finding players who: #1. can actually play this book #2. are willing to put in the extraordinary rehearsal time for less than 25% of what the other players are getting - are, I still feel, valid. Financial considerations have trumped musical considerations for some time now, but I believe this show crosses the Rubicon. This may get me fired, but that won't change the situation, and my feelings about it. I'm concerned that this sets a precedent for scoring future shows that makes everything just a little bit worse. I guess I'm putting my finger in the dyke (never a good thing to say in a theater).

Again, this matters not a bit to those 4 billion Chinese. But I hope that if you're in a position to make your feelings known about this, you will. I've worked with synthesizers all my life, and it's made me appreciate the sound of humanity in music. And don't get me started on PA systems...

I was in a band in high school/college. It was called "Gildersleeve". It was a quartet, and the other members were John Gildersleeve on guitar, Mark Martin (now Mark Ryan) on drums and my brother Rick on bass. We were not what you'd call conventionally successful, mostly due to our choice of material (more on that later), but it was a significant musical event in my life. And, as you might imagine, I'm going to tell you why.

It was the first band I was in where I was not mostly thinking about being cool. Music has always come easily to me; I never really had to practice my parts. And I never was very nervous performing in a group. So that allowed me to think full-time about being a badass. For the sake of perspective, I was a skinny kid with glasses who played the piano. Music was the only place where I even remotely had a shot. So I tried and tried. I had a nine-piece band called "The Brotherhood" with four horns and a chick singer. I was the nerdiest one in the group, but it felt great.

In Gildersleeve, we played hard stuff. Genesis. Yes. Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Gentle Giant. Todd Rundgren (the synth stuff). Fiendishly difficult originals. And we actually played it pretty well. We got a reputation as a "player's band". Occasionally, we would succumb to well-meaning advice and play the token Aerosmith or Grand Funk tune, but they never felt right. I liked the fact that these tunes kicked my ass every night. There was no time, and no need, to think about looking cool; I was busy getting satisfaction from the music.

Fast forward 35 years (oh, that didn't hurt). The other three guys in Gildersleeve are all one year younger than I am, and they were all in the same graduating class of Hudson High School. Their 40th reunion is coming up next year, and - yuuuup - they're putting the band back together. There's a date and everything. And I'm surprised at how profoundly this affects me.

It's not a midlife crisis thing - unless I live to be 116. Hell, for my midlife crisis, I bought a car that's now old enough to have its own crisis. I also know that the reason it was so cool the first time around was just that - it was the first time. I've done countless musical things since then that were, in every sense of the word,  bigger than Gildersleeve. And I know it won't make me young again. But I guess I appreciate that I have memories of those years that I'd like to revisit - I know that many people don't. And I think I'd like to be challenged like that again.

We all have continued to play - John is a much-sought-after live and session player. Mark lives in CA and is the guy  responsible for the music for the Mighty Morphing Power Rangers (and I don't know where that shows up on his resume). Rick has a ridiculously well-equipped band called "The Graphics", where he plays guitar now. So we should be able to avoid the movie cliches and get right to the music.

So, kids and kiddettes, clear your calendars for August 2, 2014. Technology is our friend; I won't be carrying a 500-pound stage rig, which is good for oh so many reasons. And the PA'll be half the original size, and sound twice as good. I plan on having a remarkably good time.

So, according to the calendar, it's been !!**SPRING**!! for something like 72 hours now, and the social media have been saturated with comments about how it's the end of days, and how this is global warming at its worst, and it seems to be mostly That Guy's fault, and isn't it terrible that places that get snow have to put up with all this.

Come. On.

Climate (which is the big picture - "weather" is what's happening outside your window right now) is a continuum, which is a word that can be used outside of "Star Trek - the Next Generation" episodes. Things change over time. There's isn't a switch somewhere that activates instant lilies, butterflies and bunny rabbits. Things change over time.

And I think that's what we want, or what we should want. I tell my students to examine every conceivable parameter of each piece they perform, and ask themselves if a given parameter is presenting an appropriate amount of variety. You know - the thing that keeps the listener's interest. The spice of life.

In music, the thing that doesn't change is the thing that doesn't get noticed. Dynamics, tessitura, timbre, texture - these are all parameters that must change to be recognized and appreciated.

Which leads me to a elderly woman I met in a clothing store on Coronado Island several years ago who, when hearing I was from Ohio, immediately said, "Oh, our worst weather is better than your best weather." Think about that for a minute. The average temperature on Coronado Island is 70 degrees, and the average rainfall is 10 inches (or as coronadovisitorcenter.com puts it, only 10 inches a year). That's not weather. This is the climatic equivalent of proudly saying, "I've had an ice cream sundae for dinner every day for the last sixty-eight years!" After about 3 weeks, I'd prostitute myself for some clam chowder.

Climate seems to be one of the few parameters in life where it's acceptable, or even desirable, to have bland every day. I don't think I'd want that. I've traveled a lot for business, and been to many places that were enjoying extreme weather conditions while I was there. Everyone seems more alive when the weather is extreme - hot or cold, rain or drought, hurricane or stagnation.

So I think the nattering nabobs of climate negativism are actually craving variety - which is why we'll hear the same complaints in the middle of August. Many studies say that, when global warming/climate change really settles in, the Great Lakes area will have the "best weather" in the country. I'm not sure I would look forward to that. Things change over time. That's how we know we're alive and living.

I can't resist; in the sublime words of Frank Loesser -
Yes, time heals all things, so I needn't cling to this fear - it's merely that spring will be a little late this year.

I need you to do something for me. Actually, it's two things. Go to the store (try Giant Eagle first) and get some Diet Orange Crush. Find a room somewhere (preferably with some soundproofing) and drink some. You'll probably want a cigarette afterward. Right?!? I KNOW!

It's just as good as the regular Orange Crush, without the sugar, carbohydrates and calories. This is my opinion and, in the words of Craig Ferguson, I await your cards and letters. There's really only one thing better, and I think you know what it is. GRAPE CRUSH! The beverage of choice for 5-year-old boys who have just had their tonsils removed and grow up to play the piano. The reward of choice that sits in the back of the refrigerator, waiting for 23-year-old clinicians for Moog Music who are losing weight by not eating any carbs way before it was popular to not eat any carbs to lose weight. Purple ambrosia in a 16-oz. glass bottle with stylized frost etched into the sides. But I digress.

Okay, it's three things: the buying, the drinking, and this:

Go to crushsoda.com. Enjoy the diversions the corporation has so thoughtfully provided (as of this date, I'm presented with the opportunity to meet Cody Simpson; say it with me - "Who?"). At the bottom of the page, click on "Contact Us". Fill out the information, and in the "Comments" box, feel free to copy and paste this:

I'm a cool and groovy person, and I think the world would be an infinitely better place if you guys made Diet Grape Crush. The Diet Orange Crush is quite good, and you are to be applauded for your efforts. The presentation of Diet Grape Crush would result in ridiculous profits for you, and happy consumers everywhere. Nobody loses, everybody wins, what's not to like? I thank you for your time.

Comment early and often. In my lifetime, I want to once again be that 5-year-old boy, anticipating that grapey goodness that hits the back of your tonsilless throat like a shout. On other words - do it for the children.

I've had a lot of people ask me lately about the concept of "effortless mastery" - from the book of the same name by the redoubtable Kenny Werner. Turn off your computer immediately and go out and find the book and read it. I'll wait here. OK, are you back? There shouldn't be any more questions: but in case there are -

This is one of the most elegant and cogent phrases I have ever known. It explains a huge overreaching concept in two words. Mr. Werner and I are roughly of an age, and he has justifiably received more recognition than I. We do share the perspective that comes with age, and part of that perspective is that we begin to know what we don't know - and we begin to know what is, and what is not, under our control. The title of the book describes a state that we can never truly and completely attain, but should be a lifelong goal - and which be can be realized in incremental steps.

Effortless mastery is, in my opinion, a simultaneously-occuring internal and external state. As in most things in life, the outwardly-appearing state is much easier to achieve than the internal state. That doesn't make it casual - music is an act of communication, and what we put in the air determines what we share.

In one sense, the simplest definition is making sure that everything you present is under control. That generally means one of two things - either it's an actual sequence of notes (a "lick", if you will) that you have gotten under control, or a musical concept (a melodic or rhythmic motif, to name but two) that you are able to fully auralize in the moment. (My spellcheck threw up this metaphorical arms at the word "auralize". It's the sonic equivalent of "visualize", and it's hearing things in your head. You should already be doing it all the time.)

Full disclosure - I don't like licks. They're lazy. You get to a spot in piece of music, and you make a conscious decision (at least, I hope you do) that "I'm going to play these notes for the X number of beats - they should fit". See, it's that "should" that bothers me. If you can't auralize the idea start-to-finish in the spot where you want to use it, is it going to be "mastery"? I think not.

So, where are we? Let's face it - we're in a place where, quite often, what you play may not be:
• the hippest thing ever heard
• the line that'll make the posers snap their fingers
• New Frontiers In Jazz

...but it'll be something that is totally under control, and will sound effortless. Believe me when I tell you - this is what you want. If you try for the uberhip line, and it goes south, the listeners won't applaud the effort - they'll remember the fail. It's just human nature; it's how the human animal works.

There's another wonderful phrase that come into play here: "Don't let your reach exceed your grasp". DON'T - I'm shouting here - DON'T play something that's not under control. Play who you are now. You'll be that player soon enough. And what will you be if you do this? You'll be the cat that never makes a mistake. And that's who they'll want to hear.

Some of you are saying, "We only learn from our mistakes. We'll never get better if we don't take chances". And I don't disagree. But I would suggest that you make those mistakes and take those chances when you're practicing. Yes, the situations are different, but, as I said, music is an act of communication. Focus on the fact that it's an ACT. When you practice, ACT like it's a performance - and note where the mistakes happen, and correct them.

"Effortless mastery" is a state of mind - a state of mind that only can be reached after a fair amount of practice, a fair amount of performing and (most importantly, I think) a fair amount of self-examination. Know what you can and can't do, and think about what you can and can't present. Think about communicating effectively, and make your choices - and never forget that, with each day, your cadre of presentable things grows - making you more of an effortless master.

This is my first posting, and, based on the date, I'll bet you can guess the subject. I saw a recent post that said the two most important words in the Second Amendment are "well regulated". Everyone with an internet connection is required by law to post an opinion on gun control, and I consider myself a law-abiding citizen.

Here are some laws I'd like to have to obey:

• You must have a license to operate a firearm before you can buy a gun. This license is only issued after you have attended a level of training roughly comparable to what our law enforcement officers must complete, and passed a proficiency test. This license must be renewed every four years, and is dependent on passing ongoing tests of visual acuity and reaction time. The right of an individual to possess this license may legally challenged by anyone at any time (all costs paid by the challenger). If so challenged, the license holder must retake, and pass, all existing tests, and pass a psychological evaluation in order to regain his license.

• A significant fee/fine will be imposed on anyone who discharges a weapon anywhere other than registered shooting ranges, or registered hunting areas. (This is not a perfect analogy, but the cost of speeding tickets is one of the prime reducers of speeding, and the concomitant automotive injuries/fatalities.) This fine is imposed on a bullet-by-bullet basis. This allows anyone to stand their ground/protect their castle/insert cliche here, but maybe there'll be that extra 10 msecs of thought that'll save Uncle Don, who got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, or, more significantly that spouse who just WON'T LEAVE IT ALONE!!

• It will be illegal to possess more two clips' worth of ammunition for any one gun at any time. If you're in the aforementioned registered hunting area, and you can't bag a deer in twelve shots - well, maybe hunting's not in your wheelhouse. If you're at the shooting range, and you run out, you walk 8 feet to the counter and buy more.

Why are these laws even being considered? You know why. A gun is a power substitute. I was going to say "penile substitute", but that would be exclusive. It gives you more power than the sum of your muscles. It allows you to subdue others that you could not subdue with your muscles alone. In sports, we call that "cheating".

We do live in a world that contains situations where the use of a gun is what can only be called an appropriate response. What I don't want is a world where the person who draws a gun to solve a problem has no training with that gun. If you look at that first hypothetical law above, you can pretty much substitute "car" for "firearm". We require our car operators to have training; why not our gun operators? A phrase my students get tired of hearing (besides "Does this outfit make me look fat?") is "The key to proficiency is repetition and familiarity". Significant occurences in our lives (like firing a gun under pressure) should not be unfamiliar.

There are those who will read my modest proposals and say that all these inconveniences will take the fun out of the sport. These people have never taken a family of four to a major-league football game. Firing a gun without inconvenience is (obviously) not a god-given right - we are not born with it. I was not born able to play the piano - I had to practice. And when Ann-Margaret was on TV, I would've told you that practicing was pretty doggone inconvenient. But I eventually realized it was necessary.

And to profess that operators of devices that subdue others against their will (and have the ancillary ability to kill) should not be trained, licensed and registered - oh, let's say "well regulated" - is ludicrous, it seems to me.