Developing a Stronger Rhythmic Pulse, and the Paradoxical Benefits of Giving Yourself Permission to Miss Notes
Curated from the Bulletproof Musician – by Erik Ralske –
Erik Ralske has played Principal Horn in the Met Opera orchestra since 2010, following 17 years in the NY Philharmonic. He is also on the faculty of The Juilliard School and Aspen Music Festival.
In this 40-min episode, we’ll explore:
- How learning a passage at performance tempo from Day 1, can sometimes be better than working it up with with a metronome from slow to fast (6:11)
- What Erik means when he said that sometimes the solution to a technical problem is not technical, but musical (9:36)
- How giving himself permission to miss notes in auditions paradoxically helped him play more accurately and consistently (12:00)
- I ask Erik how he works on rhythm, and he describes two “attitudes” when it comes to working with a metronome – a passive approach (bad) and an active approach (good) (15:16)
- Erik explains how these same attitudes can affect ensemble performance too – and how conductors can be an easy target for ensemble issues (20:01)
- How subdividing helps Erik to play not just with more trust and courage on days when he isn’t feeling as bold or confident in his playing, but get into “the zone” as well (22:32)