The temple remains.

Fragments of past transmissions echo below.

Category: Email Archives

  • Why Technique vs. Interpretation is the WRONG debate

    Had another heated debate on one of the piano Facebook groups.

    Let me re-assert my points here:

    There’s NO difference between technique and interpretation. The sound that comes out of the piano is a direct result of what you put into.

    “But Michael, you’re wrong. Interpretation is the abstract ideas in your head.”

    Your nervous system doesn’t know what “abstract ideas” are. Those are just words. Get out of your head, and sync up your body with the music. Otherwise, you’re just confusing yourself.

    The instant you touch the piano, whatever’s in your head is now going into the piano.

    This makes your life SO MUCH easier. You can stop worrying when your interpretation isn’t happening. That’s cuz it IS happening (like it or not).

    Take a load off your shoulders.

    “But Michael, are you saying I should quit if it’s not working?”

    No, I didn’t say you should quit. But, you should stop TRYING.

    Why continue trying when it’s not working?

    “But Michael, it would be shameful to stop trying.”

    Why would you want it to be shameful? It’s music we’re talking about. Music is supposed to be fulfilling and joyful, not shameful. I always fall short of the best results I can imagine. That’s because I have an active imagination.

    —Michael

    P.S. If you want to get started with piano the Korman way (KorMusic), check out Mindful Piano Basics.

  • How to be a good coach without traumatizing your students

    The best coaches are evil coaches. These are the ones who don’t care about your feelings, but who only care about results.

    Sometimes you have to feel bad in order to get the results you want.

    This advice applies to coaches/teachers such as:

    • Piano teachers

    • Yoga teachers

    • Personal trainers

    • Kindergarten teachers

    • Dog trainers

    “I don’t trust myself to get started. What if I mess up my students forever?”

    I didn’t trust myself to start teaching piano. I’d heard so many bad things about what could happen if the student was left in the hands of a bad teacher.

    Also, I’d had bad teachers myself, and I certainly hadn’t turned out perfectly.

    Then, I realized that I’m not the worst teacher out there. After all, the reason I wanted to teach was because I felt like I had some knowledge to share.

    Better that they get it from me than someone even worse.

    “I’m afraid of being too tough. But, now I feel like I can’t help my students, because I’m not letting myself be tough enough.”

    Yeah, you’re probably correct here: you’re not helping them very much. A coach’s job is to be tough.

    Is the problem really that you’re afraid of traumatizing them, or is it that you don’t want to be seen as an evil coach?

    Coaches are evil. Get used to it.

    “I’m doing the best I can, but other teachers are shaming me. They say I’m hurting my students.”

    That’s called “envy”.

    These people don’t matter. They don’t believe in what you’re doing, and they aren’t trying to help you. They’re trying to hurt you so they can feel better about their own failure.

    You should ignore them.

    Focus on your students.

    “Surely a coach can cause harm. I don’t want to be one of those coaches.”

    Look: the damage has already been done, mostly by their parents, and other teachers, and their friends, and the media.

    Whatever harm you cause is nothing compared to that.

    And by the way, the coaches who are causing real harm are not asking this question (and even if they are, they’re asking it for the wrong reasons).

    “But Michael, you sound like you have zero empathy for your students.”

    No, I have a lot of empathy.

    What you’re seeing is my commitment to helping people improve. I’m so committed to that goal that I’m willing to risk being shamed by “colleagues” who want to tear me down for the purity of what I offer.

    I’m also willing to risk being passed over by students who aren’t looking to improve, but who are looking for someone to blame for not making them feel comfortable enough.

    None of that matters to me, and it shouldn’t matter to you either.

    Join me. Be an evil coach.

    —Michael

  • This email is writing itself.

    Hey guys, what’s up?

    This is an email I wanted to write to you all to let you know I’m sending an email right now.

    “But Michael, why would you write us an email to let us know you’re sending an email right now?”

    Good question, thanks for asking.

    This email is part of a practice I’m doing.

    The idea is that I’m trying to stop stopping. Just keep going. I had an idea to write an email and here it is. I don’t know what the email’s about, just that it exists.

    My task is only to write the email.

    “But Michael, what are you practicing?”

    Glad you asked.

    I’m practicing AWARENESS and EQUANIMITY.

    Awareness of the impulses that arise, and equanimity towards the doubts and fears that stop me from doing things.

    So, the email is coming into existence, as we speak, all on its own.

    When will I stop typing? Not sure. But, I’ll wait for it to happen, all on its own.

    These are the two skills taught in No Problem.

    AWARENESS and EQUANIMITY.

    Oh look, the email is done.

    —Michael

  • Four tools procrastinators need to practice using unless they want to live a life of misery and anguish.

    This wisdom may save your life someday.

    (All this and more will be yours when you sign up for Do Some Stuff)

    1. Get Your Words Straight

    When you call yourself a “procrastinator”, you’re labeling yourself in terms of what other people wish you would be.

    Cut it out. You can’t possibly fix this problem as long as you’ve identified yourself as being the problem.

    I’m Michael, not “a procrastinator”.

    2. Be Specific

    Instead of saying “I don’t like boring tasks”, realize that the task you’re calling “boring” is more interesting than some other tasks. Sure, it might be boring compared to something, but it’s not “boring” in any absolute sense.

    If you’d rather watch Netflix than do the dishes, it doesn’t mean doing the dishes is boring and Netflix is interesting. It means out of those two choices, you have a preference.

    3. Play Games

    Make your life into a game. Sanford Meisner, the acting teacher, said: “That which hinders your task is your task.”

    If you think you should be doing your homework, but you’d rather play video games, then make your homework into a game.

    Put the actual video games in the basement and challenge yourself to see how bored you can get.

    4. Be Lazy

    You’re an animal. Get used to it.

    If you’re working on a “boring” task, and something more exciting shows up, you’re going to go with that instead.

    You’ve gotta accept this about yourself. You can’t fight it.

    Do whatever’s easiest and most fun.

    If the video games are evil, remove them from your environment so you don’t have to see them.

    Accept the fact that you have impulses.

    dO sOmE sTuFf

  • Apparently, not everyone likes my emails

    Someone reported my last email as spam.

    I know it feels good to hurt other people when you have childhood trauma, but I don’t want my email deliverability to be affected.

    If you don’t find my emails helpful, but instead find they cause you to seethe in anger, please unsubscribe now before it gets out of hand (the link is all the way at the bottom)

    I know this might be confusing for some of you who don’t quite get what this email list is all about, but I’m assuming you’re here because you’re interested in the products and services I offer.

    Kinda like how when you walk into Starbucks they just assume you’re there for coffee or whatever. They don’t tiptoe around it, you know? They aren’t ashamed to put that menu right in front of you and ask for your order.

    Everyone takes it as a given that if you don’t like the products on offer at Starbucks, then you’re free to walk out or simply back away from the register. You don’t immediately go reporting them to the Better Business Bureau.

    Don’t think this is a lecture. It’s not. And my feelings aren’t hurt, either.

    This is simply business. Kinda like how at Starbucks, if they’re closed, they put up a sign saying “closed”, so you don’t try walking in. It’s not a lecture. It’s just making sure everyone understands how things work.

    Got it?

    —Michael

    P.S. Bad posture is NOT a moral failing. It’s just a way of distributing weight so you don’t fall over.

  • Why I’m a superhero (and you’re not)

    Hey, have you checked out the No Problem meditation course?

    (Read below for a story of modern-day sorcery)

    If you’ve already bought it, great. I hope it’s changed your life in so many ways.

    If you haven’t already bought it, what’s the deal?

    • Are you not interested in meditation?

    • Are you already super-advanced at meditation and don’t see a need?

    • Don’t you see why meditation will help you?

    • Do you think it’s a bad idea to spend money on things that are important to you?

    Let’s get to the bottom of this.

    Here’s the link again

    —Michael

    P.S. I was at the bank the other day cashing some savings bonds and the teller was new at the job and didn’t know what to do so she went and got the manager and the manager tried to explain but the manager kept speaking in short, fast sentences and the teller was getting stressed out because she kept having to ask the manager to repeat herself and I was getting stressed out too and I decided to stand there and do nothing and absorb the stress from the two of them instead of trying to block it out and that’s a powerful meditation practice not because it feels good but because it feels bad and even though it might be “unhealthy” for me it’s healthy for the system as a whole and here‘s the link again.

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