Dear lovers of music, mystery and meaning,

Things are going badly this week. But that’s by design.

I'm spending the week in Oberlin, Ohio where I am a student at the Baroque Performance Institute at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.

I'm studying harpsichord, which is not on instrument I play well!

On Tuesday, I had the wonderful experience of being able to play a gorgeous harpsichord in a large, empty concert hall for over an hour. By the end of the time, I had convinced myself I might actually know what I am doing. But a masterclass the next morning quickly disabused me of this notion.

But this is all okay!

I'm glad to recall Austin Kleon's advice in his new book Don't Call It Art: give yourself permission to be bad.

Starting over on a new instrument but still within the discipline of music is teaching me so much more than I could learn by re-treading familiar ground. 

So I encourage you to take the plunge. Be bold, and be prepared to love what you learn. 

Until next week,
-David