Go with the natural flow of your body.

Be true to yourself. Find out what works for you and adapt it to your needs.

Do not try to impose a foreign system in your body.

There are no one-size-fits-all approach.

We are all unique individuals, all with different physiques. (If you don’t believe this, look in the mirror. Is there another person who looks exactly like you?)

Avoid the prefabricated approach, the template-driven approach.

Instead, go for a customized approach, one that is uniquely tailored for you.

—

The way of naturalness is to listen to our body, to allow our body to go where it wants to go.

Whatever you do, just do it, and allow the body to respond.

For example—see ball come, get ball—simple.

See desired outcome, move your body to accomplish it.

Allow your natural virtuosity to emerge naturally.

By not forcing a rigid method on our body

By listening to our body and heeding its signals.

By not stifling our natural impulses with rigid rules and notions of right and wrong.

The only rule is what works, nothing else matters—methodologies, conventions, ‘expert advice.’

—2009

There’re two ways to do things—the dumb way and the smart way.

The dumb way is to use force.

The smart way figures out a way to do it with minimal effort. (Because these special ways are out of the ordinary, they are sometimes called ‘tricks.’)

The dumb way lacks sophistication which is ok for simple tasks.

If you want power, just use more force.

The smart way finds a way (special tricks) to generate that power without forcing.

Where do you learn these ‘tricks?’

From good teachers. They have a lifetime of experience which they can share with you.

From books. There’s a lot of knowledge out there waiting for you to discover them.

From experience. This is also called practice.

Practice is the most crucial because ultimately, you have to learn through your own experience.

Like riding a bike.

You can read all the books you want, or get all the advice you can from teachers, but if you don’t get on that bike, you will never learn how to ride it.

—2008

I recently started transferring some old DAT tapes in my archives to disk and was surprised to find two recordings of two movements from Bach’s first lute suite in one of the tapes.

I have no recollection of having recorded them, but from the note on the tape, they were recorded in the summer of 1992.

That was when I first started doing test recordings for my Bach CD.

But why two movements from the first lute suite?

My original intention was to include the first lute suite on my Bach CD but I decided I needed something in a major key so I eventually replaced it with BWV 998. These early recordings were done before the change of plans.

I thought the gigue sounded quite good for an early test run so here it is. The sound is the sound of Wolfe Recital Hall with no added reverb.

The most important quality of art is the quality of aliveness.

What is this aliveness?

It’s its spirit.

When a work is imprisoned within the black and white symbols on a page, that spirit is locked in.

That’s why it’s important when you bring the music to life again under your fingers, that you breathe life back into those notes.

Make them sing, make them dance, and make them come alive.

Not with mathematical precision.

Not with rules about how it should sound.

Not with preconceptions on what is good or bad.

But with your spirit, your imagination.

But imagination that is grounded in knowledge—not academic knowledge but experiential knowledge.

So if you’re a blues player, immerse yourself in the blues, breathe it, sleep it, and make it part of your soul.

So that when you play, all that knowledge and experience will find expression naturally in your playing.

If you’re a Bach player, immerse yourself in his music.

Absorb it into every fiber of your body.

So that when you play his music, all that knowledge and experience will find expression within the beautiful complexity of his music.

Above all, remember that art without the quality of aliveness is dead.

—July 2, 2009

To perform (and to live) is to exist in a state of constant flux.

This has certain repercussions:

Change—Brings newness. Do not hold on to the present moment; let it go so you can catch the next.

Unpredictability—Means continual surprises. Be prepared to improvise, all part of the general messiness of life.

Complexity—If your task has a high degree of complexity, simplify, reduce it to its basic elements.

Growth—In a dynamic world, there are only three states of being—grow, stay the same, or die. Growing seems to be the preferable option.

Volatility—Maintain your equilibrium. Continually make small adjustments to preserve your balance.

Mobility—To remain lean and agile, eliminate extra baggage. Take only what you need.

Timing—Pace and control your actions by underpinning them to a rhythmic pulse. Rhythm is the organizing principle which gives structure to time. It is the ultimate control mechanism.

—January 9, 2006

From an early draft of the AOV.

TWO DEFINITIONS

VIRTUOSITY

The conventional definition: a high degree of skill and mastery in performing.

The AOV definition: A state of no limitations. Where you’re able to achieve any goal, create any outcome, with minimum effort and with maximum effect.

EFFORTLESSNESS

Is not absence of effort; everything we do involves effort.

It’s the sensation of an absence of effort, of just allowing things to happen without having to apply conscious effort.

Like driving. When you drive, there’s no conscious effort involved. Everything has been automated through years of doing.

Or someone throws a ball at you and you reach out and catch it, without thinking.

To paraphrase the Old Master:

“The Virtuoso does not do, and yet everything is done.”

– October 27, 2009

The Intro to an early draft of the AOV:

INTRO

The ultimate goal in life is to achieve effortlessness—in work, and in play.

The concept central to this philosophy is to create conditions for things to happen naturally, of their own accord, rather than forcing them to happen.

My favorite story is one I heard as a child.

The sun and the wind were arguing who was stronger.

The wind said. “Look at that man down there. I will blow the shirt off his back with my mighty power.”

He huffed and puffed, but the man feeling the cold wind on his back only held the shirt closer to his body. The wind soon gave up.

The sun smiled and without a word, started to shine on the man. The man, feeling the heat on his back, soon took the shirt off his back without a struggle.

Persuasion rather than coercion.

Creating conditions rather than force.

Forcing is inefficient and clumsy.

It may work to a point, but it only produces minimal outcomes.

Because when you force, you create resistance. This resistance ends up being a drag on you and you’re less likely to get what you want.

But when you create good conditions, you’re letting nature do your work for you. Once you have the conditions in place, no additional effort is needed, nature will do the rest.

If you want a stream to flow faster, clear the obstructions in its path and it will flow freely downhill.

If you want to move faster, remove the obstructions in your body, and you’ll be able to move faster too.

That’s the basic philosophy of this book.

Create ideal conditions in your body, and let your innate virtuosity do the rest.

The principles contained in this book are universal principles.

Whether it’s the martial arts, playing guitar, or sports, we’re working with the same basic equipment—the human body—working under the same physical constraints in our environment, and towards the same goals of achieving speed, power, and precision.

In other words, these principles hold the keys to everything we do.

They’re not the most exciting things to work on, but they’re critical to creating the conditions for our natural virtuosity to emerge and thrive effortlessly.

– October 27, 2009

(An early draft of the AOV)

How to achieve effortless virtuosity by following a few simple steps.

——— 1 ———

First, create loose conditions in the body.

Loosen up your body; don’t force it in any way.

Allow the body to loosen into a state of pure relaxation.

Looseness is the first and most critical component of virtuosity.

——— 2 ———

Second, move lightly.

Even in the hardest of tasks, move lightly.

Think of a dancer, the grace and smoothness in her movements, no awkwardness or clumsiness, just a smooth fluid flow.

Especially in high stress situations, keep yourself loose and move lightly.

If you do this, you’ll be able to attain the light effortless touch of virtuosity.

——— 3 ———

Third, move in small movements.

To do this, focus your movements at the points of action.

If you’re plucking strings, this would be your fingertips.

Think of wiggling your fingertips.

Your movements should be so small, to the onlooker; it would appear almost as if you’re not moving.

——— 4 ———

Fourth, move fluidly.

Like a dancer gliding from one step to the next.

Your movements blended into one continuous action—preparing, executing, rebounding—all one continuous move.

Think circular motion in your movements.

Anticipate.

Avoid stopping and starting.

From chord to chord, think of the movements as one motion.

From positioning to plucking to rebounding, move in one motion.

——— 5 ———

Fifth, control and time your actions with rhythm.

Do this by underpinning your actions to a light rhythmic pulse.

Do it unconsciously.

Like walking—when you walk, you do it naturally without being aware of rhythm.

And yet there’s rhythm in all your steps.

Rhythm is the ultimate control mechanism,

It enables you to pace your actions so that they unfold in a smooth logical progression.

As opposed to rushing through them.

Or letting them occur randomly.

——— 6 ———

And release tension at the end of actions.

All actions have two phases.

First, the tension phase, and then the release.

Like a sigh, or a breath.

As you draw in your breath, that’s the tension phase.

Then the expiration, that’s the release.

And here’s the critical part—timing.

Release at the moment of impact.

The moment of impact is the moment of release.

The instant you pluck that string, let go all tension.

——— 7 ———

The question is often asked; how do you produce power with lightness?

By capturing the power in the release.

Effortless power is based on three things: a loose body, super light movements, and the release.

Especially crucial in fast changing fluid conditions.

If you have to play a bunch of fast moving notes at fortissimo levels, capture the power in the release of each note.

To do this, let your fingertip come into contact with the string, allow it to give slightly, and then let go in a snapping action.

The energy released this way is powerful and effortless.

True power is produced not by forcing energy, but through releasing energy.

—February 1, 2011