And thanks Chris, for your nice blog!
and for not being too hard on censoring comments here…

Thanks for the questions.

*What inspired you to write “The Art of Passion”?
It was Sarn Dyer who suggested I wrote about expression. I had tried to stay off the subject, believing it to be too broad and hard to define in a how-to manual like the AOV. But it made sense after I thought about it. Virtuosity is not just about physical prowess, but about how we express our basic humanity. Actually, I’ve changed that chapter to “The Artlessness of Passion,” I named it after Bruce Lee’s description of the third stage of mastery, the stage of artlessness.

*Are the books all your own thoughts?
I would say that except for the occasional references to other artists such as Bruce Lee, all the ideas are derived from my own personal experiences. But because these are universal principles, you’ll probably hear some of the ideas echoed by other people. But even in these instances, if you did deeper, you will find that my approach and treatment of those ideas are different and original.

For instance, on the subject of rhythm. I have not heard anyone talk about the concept of separating the source of your rhythm from your execution. And yet it’s a crucial aspect of rhythmic control. I’ve taught the concept since 1986. It’s not an easy concept to understand but once you do, it’ll take your playing to the next level. A student of mine back in those days, when I was a teaching fellow at UNT, became so excited when he understood the concept, he called it the secret of life.

*Do you include citations in your books, to differentiate your original thoughts, from those of others?
No, I didn’t want a scholarly book, so whenever I quoted information from other people, I would just attribute it to them. You’ll find those references all over the place. Perhaps, in a later edition, I will include all the citations. But they’re pretty easy to locate with google.

*If I wanted to find some information of expressive playing (say online), where would you point me?
This is a hard one. I don’t surf a lot, and I’m not sure what’s out there. I’m sure there’s tons of information out there, but I really don’t have a clue. I will recommend some books though.

“Schnabel’s Interpretation of Piano Music,” and anything by and about Glenn Gould and Dinu Lipatti.

*What inspired you to write “The Art of Passion”?

*Are the books all your own thoughts?

*Do you include citations in your books, to differentiate your original thoughts, from those of others?

*If I wanted to find some information of expressive playing (say online), where would you point me?

Thanks.

Best wishes,
Richard