The five finger exercise that Joao Assis Brasil gave me seemed simple enough.

I only had to practice for five minutes.

As a dysfunctional learner and undisciplined person,
that sounded great.

But the assignment at first terrified me.

He wanted me to practice nothing but
the five-finger exercise for two weeks!

I was to do absolutely no other playing.
I could observe the panic in my mind
and the illusions it was creating.

I thought that in two weeks, I would forget how to play.
Even more absurd was the notion that . . .

(more…)

After attending Berklee on and off for three years,
I got the opportunity to go to Rio de Janeiro.

Joao Assis Brasil was a concert pianist
who happened to be the twin brother
of the late saxophonist Victor Assis Brasil,
with whom I traveled to Rio to play concerts.

Joao was entering European competitions
and practicing eight hours a day.  He had achieved
a high degree of excellence through intense pressure
and practice.  The result was a nervous breakdown.

Joao returned home to live with his parents
and went to therapy five days a week.
He started to practice two things
that would restore him to health.

Whenever his mind tormented him,
his therapist told him to go somewhere and chant ,

(more…)

Now is the time of year when everyone reflects on the previous year,

and sets their goals and intentions for the upcoming year.

How was 2009 for you, musically?

Did you make progress?

Many people practice.

Few actually make progress.

You can make musical Effortless Mastery a part of who you are,
when you apply the principles that Kenny teaches.

What will you do in 2010?

There are many tools here to support you,
including Kenny’s new “Living Effortless Mastery” DVD.

The best thing you can do is review your
Effortless Mastery notes, book, CD’s, videos,
telewebinar calls, and blog posts.

Make a commitment to return to, or continue,
your practice.

Peace.

Kenny Werner
Dr. Andrew Colyer

KennyWernerLive.com
and
ConsciousWorldMedia.com

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Question:  What does the original Woodstock Festival
have in common with Kenny Werner?

Answer:  They both have original performances
in upstate New York, at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts.

Click this link to get your tickets to see Kenny Werner at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts

On Saturday, November 14th, at 7 pm,

Kenny will be doing a solo concert
at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts,
in Bethel, New York.

Click this link to get your tickets to see Kenny Werner at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts

Bethel Woods Center for the Arts is a $100 million outdoor performing arts center
and museum located approximately 90 minutes from New York City
at the site of the original 1969 Woodstock Festival in Bethel, New York.
The 15,000 seat outdoor performing arts venue and The Museum at Bethel Woods
are set within nearly 2,000 bucolic acres.

Get Your Tickets Now — it’s only six weeks away!

Click this link to get your tickets to see Kenny Werner at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts

Thank you for being part of our Effortless Mastery community.

Kenny Werner
and
Dr. Andrew Colyer

KennyWernerLive.com
and
ConsciousWorldMedia.com

P.S.  Here’s that link to Get Your Tickets Now:
Click this link to get your tickets to see Kenny Werner at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts

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In our last post, I wrote about my new beginning at Berklee College of Music.

People were telling me about a legend whom Keith Jarrett, Herbie Hancock,
and Chick Corea were suppoed to have studied with in Boston.

Madame Chaloff was a mystical figure who taught the “secret of music.”
I found her to be a truly light-filled being.

She was about eighty years old when I met her, but her hair was golden
reddish blond and seemed to glow as if there was a little spotlight
following her around the room.  She spoke of the secret of playing piano.
It had to do with the pianist’s arms “defying gravity.”  We worked on
other physical actions as well.  We even worked on how my walking
could be more grace-filled.

She taught the perfect way to drop a finger.  This was my first introduction
to effortlessness.  Until then, I grunted and groaned and made all sorts
of weird faces.  People loved the faces I made because it meant I was really
into the music.  I later recognized this as tension and nothing more.

She was a real stickler for the perfect drop of the finger.  I spent months
learning to play one note.  I think once or twice I got it right and we
actually went on to the second finger!

She was very one-pointed in her focus.

It was about playing for God.

I was grateful for that message because I had been trying to meditate
under the tutelage of a popular guru at the time.  She made the connection for me
between spirit and music.  Through her I was able to merge the two concerns.

I often would go to the lessons with my own agenda and had so many
questions, but once in her chamber, so to speak, I entered another dimension.
Everything that seemed important would dissolve.  One felt as if one was in
the presence of truth, or at least that is how it struck me.  I know that
this was true for many others, though not for all.

At one point, it had been a while since I had seen her and had drifted off
her subtle path.  After a distressing breakup with my longtime girlfriend,
I was so distraught that I decided to see Madame Chaloff.  I thought to myself,
“This time she’ll see the pain I’m in and really want to listen to my sad story.
Maybe it would be good if I were crying when she cam to the door.  Yes!  That’s
a very good idea!  I’ll cry and she’ll see that I don’t need that spiritual stuff
right now, and she’ll comfort me and pity me and give me solace.”

I got to her door, sad faced and ready for sympathy.  As she opened the door I involuntarily smiled.
She took one look and asked, “Where have you been?  Come on in here.  We’ve got
a lot of work to do!”  And we went right to it.

I must say regretfully, that I never did learn to play one note right.
It was too early for me to learn that lesson.  I had the urgency and ambition
of a typical college student.  Her message was too high for me.  When I was with her,
I knew I was hearing truth, but I would lose it soon after leaving.

I must have been meant to learn this truth however, because the next place I moved to,
another teacher was waiting to show me the very same thing . . .

What experiences have you had with your teachers?

Are you nurturing those musical seeds/gifts/fruits with your Effortless Mastery practice?

Make Sure You Get Kenny’s “Living Effortless Mastery” DVD

Thank you for being here as part of our Effortless Mastery Community.

To Your Effortless Mastery,

Kenny Werner
and
Dr. Andrew Colyer

KennyWernerLive.com
and
ConsciousWorldMedia.com

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Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz

Guest: Kenny Werner

December 4, 2007

Length 58:00

All clips are short; about 3-4 minutes each, for your listening pleasure.

Part One:

Part Two:

Part Three:

Part Four:

Part Five:

Part Six:

Part Seven:

Part Eight:

Part Nine:

Part Ten:

Part Eleven:

Part Twelve:

Part Thirteen:

Part Fourteen:

Part Fifteen:

Part Sixteen:

Part Seventeen:

Thank you for being here as part of our Effortless Mastery Community.

To Your Effortless Mastery,

Kenny Werner
and
Dr. Andrew Colyer

KennyWernerLive.com
and
ConsciousWorldMedia.com

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Life didn’t necessarily feel worth living, but I didn’t have the courage to end it, although the thought made me feel vaguely peaceful.

I had heard that Berklee School of Music had a good jazz program.  I didn’t know much about that, but I did know that it involved improvisation, and that was all I ever really loved about music.

Lord knows that if there were any glimpses of my inner self in those early years, it was when I sat down at the piano with no plan in mind; no form, no structure, just my raw feeling and a few friendly listeners.  (I always had to have listeners, otherwise it wasn’t worth giving up valuable TV time.)

When I enrolled in Berklee, I was delighted to find other misfits like myself; people who truly didn’t know where they were at or what they were doing.  These guys became my fraternity.

I responded to this new stimulating environment by having the first B+ year of my life.  I actually made the dean’s list!  And I was practicing!  Praise the Lord, I was practicing!  It felt great.  It all related to improvising, so I guessed I was in the right place.

I began to really appreciate jazz and all its great artists.  For the next few years, I would try to do what most music students did; try to imitate the masters, not only in playing, but in mind and speech.  I lamented my Jewishness, and coming from Long Island was even less desirable.  When people asked, I just said I was from New York.

Most of my friends were concerned with learning the language of jazz without sacrificing individuality.  Unfortunately, this prevented some of them from adequately learning the language (a problem I’ll address in a later post).

But while I was there, I met a few people who would help shape my future.

The seeds were planted for what would become my path . . .

What seeds were planted in your earlier days?

Are you nurturing those musical seeds/gifts/fruits with your Effortless Mastery practice?

Make Sure You Get Kenny’s “Living Effortless Mastery” DVD

Thank you for being here as part of our Effortless Mastery Community.

To Your Effortless Mastery,

Kenny Werner
and
Dr. Andrew Colyer

KennyWernerLive.com
and
ConsciousWorldMedia.com

Technorati Tags:
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Kenny is living and demonstrating Effortless Mastery
by spontaneously creating a five-minute song
from a snippet of an ancient hymn.

This is Part Three from Kenny’s One-Man show
at the Banff Performing Arts Centre
in Alberta, Canada.

Enjoy!

Thank you for being here as part of our Effortless Mastery Community.

To Your Effortless Mastery,

Kenny Werner
and
Dr. Andrew Colyer

KennyWernerLive.com
and
ConsciousWorldMedia.com

Technorati Tags:
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It’s from a performance at the Fulkerson Recital Hall
at the Redwood Jazz Alliance in northern California

Here’s what one reviewer had to say about this concert:

“Many were dazzled by Villela’s five-octave range and her ingeniously percussive vocal gymnastics. She and Werner are improvisational soulmates, and their considerable talents and uncanny rapport guaranteed a sublime evening of lyrical and sparkling duets.”

Enjoy!

Again, here’s the link to the venue:

http://www.redwoodjazzalliance.org/

Redwood Jazz Alliance is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit charity dedicated to jazz performance and education by visiting artists in Humboldt County, California.

Halfway between Portland and San Francisco, tucked between the redwoods and the ocean on California’s north coast, our area offers spectacular scenery, small-town community, outstanding wineries and microbreweries and most important, a group of students, faculty, and local citizens excited about good music.

For bookings and/or more information, please e-mail rja@redwoodjazzalliance.org.

Thank you for being here as part of our Effortless Mastery Community.

To Your Effortless Mastery,

Kenny Werner
and
Dr. Andrew Colyer

KennyWernerLive.com
and
ConsciousWorldMedia.com

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It’s an excerpt from the NEW “Living Effortless Mastery” DVD.

Get Your Copy of the DVD “Living Effortless Mastery”
and Kenny’s “Free Play” book and CD
by clicking on the link below:
http://kennywernerlive.com/kenny-werners-effortless-mastery-and-music-store

Enjoy!

Get Your Own Copy of the DVD “Living Effortless Mastery”
and Kenny’s “Free Play” book and CD
by clicking on the link below:
http://kennywernerlive.com/kenny-werners-effortless-mastery-and-music-store

Thank you for being here as part of our Effortless Mastery Community.

To Your Effortless Mastery,

Kenny Werner
and
Dr. Andrew Colyer

KennyWernerLive.com
and
ConsciousWorldMedia.com

Technorati Tags:
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