Recently I read a book by Glenn Kurtz, Practicing: A Musician's Return to Music. It is about his return to playing classical guitar after a long hiatus.
One thing he wrote struck me,
"I have to hear the sounds before I make them, and I have to let the sounds be as they are. Then I have to hear the difference between what I have in mind and what comes from the strings."
That really rang true to me. At my last lesson, my teacher and I talked about thoughtful and purposeful practicing, that is, changing what I am doing in order to improve my playing. Listening and hearing the gap between what I hear in my head and what I play, figuring out what is causing the gap, and changing something to bridge the gap is the essence of playing.
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