Effortless Mastery: Liberating the Master Musician Within

I am about halfway through the book, and it is exactly the sort of medicine I need, to deprogram myself away from the fear-based paradigm that Werner describes that taints my relationship with music and my instruments of choice. It's not rocket science, and he doesn't beat around the bush. It takes work, and sacrifice, and compromise, but anyone willing to put in the honest effort will reap a reward. It's that simple. Not easy, but simple. He lays it out. The book starts with his own compelling story, and then an overview of the fear-based paradigm that we are all trying to transcend. Then it gets real practical in the second half, which I am just about to start, and am really excited to do so.The book is music focused, but I share it with anyone who seems to struggle psychologically or emotionally with any sort of craft or practice. It's 90% relevant to anything, not just art and certainly not just music performance.I would deduct a half star, as the audio recordings are great but have some quality issues with pops and distortions that really have no reason for existing. During a meditation those artifacts can be distracting, but really if you *get* the content that you are studying, it's another opportunity to practice the concepts that you are learning :) But as amazon doesn't allow half a star, I am rounding up to 5 stars again :)This book belongs in the heart and mind of anyone who cares about understanding and embodying the concept of "mastery" in their own life.As a side note, I find it (perhaps unintentionally? but Werner seems to have a bit of tongue in cheek to his communication style) varying degrees of entertaining to hilarious to read and hear Werner talk about mindfulness and other concepts from his east coast blue collar cultural background. Not being elitist, just enjoying the busting of the stereotypes that you can't be a zen muthaf***** with a Brooklyn accent. Werner is plenty of proof that you can, and I appreciate the groundedness of his upbringing and story make mindfulness more accessible culturally for me. It's like mindfulness for "real people" and not just the "eat pray love" of unexamined economic privilege.So if you've been wanting to check out mindfulness, but get turned off by so much of the implicit economic elitism in so much of it (also like that with yoga) I recommend this book for that reason alone, as well as the Mindfulness app that is put out by the VA which is also really good and accessible (and free!) without being froofy. Maybe that doesn't make it "intellectual" enough for others, but I find it is plenty intellectual, just presented in a more direct and down to earth sort of way. Werner has a lot of really interesting ideas about music, performance, jazz, etc that I find challenging and provocative but ultimately can find little or no fault in when I put my own ego and insecurities aside.This book is helping me find peace with myself and my own musical practices. Can you put a price on that?

Don't let the fact that this book was written by a musician distract you from buying it if you are not a musician! The principles contained herein are universal and the author has written a book from which anyone can learn if he or she is a seeker. The key here is to be open to new ideas. That is not to say that these are "new" ideas. The ancients have promulgated the features and benefits of meditation for years. Since, many have written and/or captured on tape, cd, and dvd a variety of approaches to meditation. There is something for everyone it would seem. What made this book unique for me was that it was written by a musician and though the content can be universally applied, it has an intimacy with the musician's struggle. I felt, possibly for the first time ever, that the obstacles I've encountered in my attempts to improve as a drummer, were/are not peculiar to me alone! Indeed, Mr. Werner has written a book about me in the sense that every limitation on my playing appears somewhere on its' pages. My own history is clearly laid out in the first half of the book. Reading it helped me to come to terms with my own mediocrity! Enter the hero (which in this case, is the second half of the book)! It is here where we receive practical, sensible, and easy to follow instructions on how to master ___________ (you fill in the blank). Really, 'Effortless Mastery' is a manual on how to master anything! Since I am a musician, that blank is filled with 'the drums'. I began to apply the instructions Mr. Werner sets out in the book and they had an immediate effect on my playing and my enjoyment of practicing. I am amazed at how simple the application of this book is yet how profound a difference it has made in my rate of improvement on the drums! It doesn't take long to see the difference either. If I could put Kenny Werner's teachings into one simple axiom, it would be: choosing quality over quantity. By paying attention to how we are doing something and how our bodies are responding while we are doing it, we open a whole new world in which opportunities are limitless. But the real expansion in our conciousness takes place when we can detach from the results of our efforts. That is when our efforts become effortless. You simply MUST buy this book and read it, then practice it and your life will change for the absolute better. Of this I am certain! Then you too will be saying, "I am a master! I am great!" Thank you Kenny Werner, for taking the time to write it and for continuing to spread the word. I have never enjoyed playing music more than I do now. I am a master! I am great!

I just started this book, I am taking my time with it. In the first two chapters I already sense something positive with the author's childhood experiences in school.. but looking forward to adding more to this review on this one.

Changed my perspective on life, anxiety and music in ways I would have never imagined. 100% recommend

Uno de los mejores libros sobre cómo abordar la música para dejar ser al Gran Músico que somos y llevamos dentro.

"Effortless Mastery" è molto più di un libro: è un percorso profondo e trasformativo scritto dal leggendario musicista Kenny Werner. Quest'opera non solo offre una guida preziosa per musicisti di ogni livello, ma costituisce anche un'ispirazione per chiunque cerchi la padronanza di sé stessi e della propria arte.Il libro con le sue meditazioni audio in italiano scaricabili si distingue per la sua approccio unico nel favorire la crescita personale attraverso la musica e la meditazione. Kenny Werner condivide non solo le sue esperienze, ma offre anche strumenti pratici per superare gli ostacoli mentali che impediscono la piena espressione artistica e individuale.Le meditazioni guidate in italiano, disponibili in download, sono un vero tesoro. Esse accompagnano il lettore in un viaggio interiore, aiutando a superare blocchi emotivi e a trovare un approccio più libero e autentico alla musica e alla vita stessa. La chiarezza e la profondità delle meditazioni sono un punto forte di questo prodotto, offrendo un sostegno prezioso anche per chi è nuovo alla pratica della meditazione.La bellezza di "Effortless Mastery" è la sua capacità di andare oltre la musica stessa, trasformandosi in una guida per superare le paure, i limiti e le insicurezze che spesso affliggono gli artisti e le persone in generale. Questo libro rappresenta un viatico per abbracciare la creatività e la realizzazione personale con una prospettiva rinnovata.In conclusione, "Effortless Mastery" con le sue audio meditazioni in italiano è un'opera che consiglio senza esitazioni a chiunque desideri esplorare nuovi orizzonti nella musica, nella meditazione e nella crescita personale. È un accompagnamento prezioso e ispiratore per coloro che cercano la padronanza di sé stessi attraverso l'arte e la spiritualità.

Livro que ajuda a reavaliar e relembrar o mais importante na vida e na música.

Un libro tan bien escrito que en cada página hay suficiente material para trabajar toda la vida.Imprescindible para músicos y todo lo que explica es aplicable a cualquier profesión creativa y la vida. Es un libro de autoayuda casi.Desde mi punto de vista racional y incluso cinico, todo lo que dice tiene sentido y lo he vivido. Ha sido mi camino para descubrir lo importante de la meditación, a través de descubrir de qué sirve realmente. Después habrá todo un seguimiento de hippies que no saben de lo que hablan que malinterpretaran lo que dice, pero el autor es serio, riguroso, inteligente, y sabe muy bien de qué habla.