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A man wearing glasses and a brown jacket who is Charlie Watts playing drums in a TV studio.

Music

idea

True musical virtuosos are minimalists who put roll before rock

Musicians like Muddy Waters and Charlie Watts played fewer notes than showoffs like Jeff Beck, but they were the right ones

by Mike Edison

Photo of hands playing a piano keyboard, showing close-up of fingers and a ring on one finger against dark background.

Pleasures and pastimes

idea

Feel free to stop striving: learn to relish being an amateur

When I rekindled my relationship with the piano and tapped into my inner amateur, I discovered a quiet room of my own

by Xenia Hanusiak

Painting of a woman in a yellow dress and hat sitting with a guitar against a green background.

Music

guide

How to start making music

It’s never too late to play an instrument or learn to sing. Take the leap from listener to maker in the way that suits you

by Gayla M Mills

A woman in a black swimsuit is submerged underwater, with her head down and hair floating gently around her.

Dance

film

Exquisite subaquatic choreography stretches the limits of mind and body

Directed by Julie Gautier

Photo of a man playing a violin in a columned, mosaic-tiled hall with people walking in the background.

Music

idea

Music is a philosophy, rich in ideas that language cannot say

Musical thinking offers a means for composing our lives and a philosophical foundation that embraces both sound and silence

by Xenia Hanusiak

Photo of a person with eyes closed, hands on cheeks, wearing a wristband and large hoop earrings in a dimly lit setting.

Music

idea

Can you ‘feel’ the music? You’re probably an empathetic person

People who are more empathic toward others are also more likely to have more feeling for the emotions communicated in music

by Benjamin Tabak & Zachary Wallmark

Music

guide

How to listen to, and enjoy, classical music

Whether you’re a newbie or an aficionado, these ways to navigate and approach the genre will enrich your experience

by Lawrence Kramer

Painting of two musicians standing by bare trees in a snowy landscape with two distant figures and a city skyline in the background.

Mindfulness and meditation

film

Everyone is waiting, watching. What for remains captivatingly unclear

Directed by Michelle Kranot & Uri Kranot

Photo of a person with a guitar leaning on a car in a forest with bright red foliage wearing a white shirt and hat.

Music

idea

Bob Dylan turned American folk traditions into modern prophecy

Bob Dylan’s ‘A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall’ is the first truly modernist folk song: it reworks tradition into a prophetic warning

by Timothy Hampton

Photo of a woman singing passionately into a microphone wearing a sparkling black and gold dress on a dark stage.

Music

idea

The jazz singer’s mind shows us how to improvise through life itself

Be more jazz: by letting go and embodying the present, you can learn to transform the mundane into the transcendent

by Melissa Forbes

Photo of shelves filled with vinyl record covers stacked vertically, showing a collection of diverse albums.

Music

guide

How to discover new music

In a musical rut? Whatever your age or existing tastes, you can find surprise and enjoyment beyond the streaming algorithms

by James Hadfield

Music

film

Faith, struggle and song intertwine in this classic film on Appalachian music

Directed by John Cohen