I was trained by Method acting teachers and we were taught that aside from whatever gift you may or may not have or the level of that gift, that you were obliged to know how to build a table. It's a craft. It's like being a ballerina or a violinist.
When you can hear a violinist, that is better than you, then you learn from him, because if you play with somebody who is worse than you, then you go down.
Without even knowing it, we are assaulted by a high note of urgency all the time. We end up pacing ourselves to the city rhythm whether or not it's our own. In time we even grow hard of hearing to the rest of the world. Like a violinist stuck next to the timpani, we may lose the ability to hear our own instrument.
My father is a violinist and my mother is a pianist, so I've been hearing music all my life. I started playing at three and had my first music teacher at five.
Where love is deep, much can be accomplished.
Whether you want to be the top violinist or a CEO, strangely enough, hard work and perseverance can overcome a lot of things.
Years ago, I heard an interview with violinist Yehudi Menuhin. The interviewer said, "Do you still practice?" And he said, "I practice every day. " He said, "If I skip a day, I can hear it. If I skip two days, the conductor can hear it. And if I skip three days, the audience can hear it. " Oh, yes, you have to keep that muscle firm.
Im one of the boys, no better than the last second violinist. Im just the lucky one to be standing in the center, telling them how to play.
