Raise Your Floor

I received a nugget of advice, the other day, from the principal bass of Chicago’s Lyric Opera, Ian Hallas. He recommended that I work on raising the “floor” of my bass playing, not just the “ceiling,” that I focus efforts on making my worst, not just my best, better.

Makes sense, because so often it’s the “floor” that comes out under pressure…when I’m nervous at an audition, stressed in the classroom, tired in rehearsal. These low moments need attention and development as much as, if not more than, the rare moments when everything is going right, and I’m on top of the world.