William Westney is author of The Perfect Wrong Note: Learning to Trust Your Musical Self, an international bestseller which has become a pedagogical classic. He personifies a rare combination of abilities, having achieved distinction as concert artist, author, and award-winning educator. Winner of numerous performance prizes, most notably the Geneva International Competition, he has concertized on four continents. Westney’s trailblazing performance workshop “The Un-Master Class”® was profiled in a New York Times article and has been given at conservatories around the world. Westney is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Texas Tech University.

In this bold and insightful book, William Westney grapples with elusive questions about music as a ‘life force’ and comes up with compelling answers. He finds guides (almost soulmates) in a panoply of philosophers, poets, and performers—from Plato to Jung, Martin Buber to Yo-Yo Ma. Westney draws upon decades of experience as an exemplary pianist and empowering teacher to offer fresh approaches to practicing, technique, and trusting one’s musical, emotional, and sensual instincts.

• AcknowledgementsIntroductionOverviewChapter 1: ToneChapter 2: Exploring ErosChapter 3: Logos, Eros and the Integrated MusicianChapter 4: Dissolving BoundariesChapter 5: Luxuriant TechniqueChapter 6: Practicing: The Pleasure of ProcessChapter 7: Performing: Joining the FlowChapter 8: The Teaching ConnectionChapter 9: Research: The “Enjoyment Mode”Chapter 10: Love, Energy and TransformationBibliographyIndexAbout the Author

William Westney is author of The Perfect Wrong Note: Learning to Trust Your Musical Self, an international bestseller which has become a pedagogical classic. He personifies a rare combination of abilities, having achieved distinction as concert artist, author, and award-winning educator. Winner of numerous performance prizes, most notably the Geneva International Competition, he has concertized on four continents. Westney’s trailblazing performance workshop “The Un-Master Class”® was profiled in a New York Times article and has been given at conservatories around the world. Westney is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Texas Tech University.

In this bold and insightful book, William Westney grapples with elusive questions about music as a ‘life force’ and comes up with compelling answers. He finds guides (almost soulmates) in a panoply of philosophers, poets, and performers—from Plato to Jung, Martin Buber to Yo-Yo Ma. Westney draws upon decades of experience as an exemplary pianist and empowering teacher to offer fresh approaches to practicing, technique, and trusting one’s musical, emotional, and sensual instincts.

• AcknowledgementsIntroductionOverviewChapter 1: ToneChapter 2: Exploring ErosChapter 3: Logos, Eros and the Integrated MusicianChapter 4: Dissolving BoundariesChapter 5: Luxuriant TechniqueChapter 6: Practicing: The Pleasure of ProcessChapter 7: Performing: Joining the FlowChapter 8: The Teaching ConnectionChapter 9: Research: The “Enjoyment Mode”Chapter 10: Love, Energy and TransformationBibliographyIndexAbout the Author

William Westney is author of The Perfect Wrong Note: Learning to Trust Your Musical Self, an international bestseller which has become a pedagogical classic. He personifies a rare combination of abilities, having achieved distinction as concert artist, author, and award-winning educator. Winner of numerous performance prizes, most notably the Geneva International Competition, he has concertized on four continents. Westney’s trailblazing performance workshop “The Un-Master Class”® was profiled in a New York Times article and has been given at conservatories around the world. Westney is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Texas Tech University.

In this bold and insightful book, William Westney grapples with elusive questions about music as a ‘life force’ and comes up with compelling answers. He finds guides (almost soulmates) in a panoply of philosophers, poets, and performers—from Plato to Jung, Martin Buber to Yo-Yo Ma. Westney draws upon decades of experience as an exemplary pianist and empowering teacher to offer fresh approaches to practicing, technique, and trusting one’s musical, emotional, and sensual instincts.

• AcknowledgementsIntroductionOverviewChapter 1: ToneChapter 2: Exploring ErosChapter 3: Logos, Eros and the Integrated MusicianChapter 4: Dissolving BoundariesChapter 5: Luxuriant TechniqueChapter 6: Practicing: The Pleasure of ProcessChapter 7: Performing: Joining the FlowChapter 8: The Teaching ConnectionChapter 9: Research: The “Enjoyment Mode”Chapter 10: Love, Energy and TransformationBibliographyIndexAbout the Author