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Rhapsodydmb.com
A soft place for humanists to land to read poetry
& stories about music, share our love of piano adventures, & work toward restoration of a more just & kind America & the world!



UNEXPECTED GIFTS -- THE BEST KIND!
Do you notice how sometimes you set out in one direction toward a location only to end up headed in another direction and landing at...
rhapsodydmb
Nov 18, 20247 min read
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GIVING PEOPLE CHOICES
Giving people choices conveys many benefits in life, and to both or all parties to the equation. I was happy to learn there is one 2017...
rhapsodydmb
Oct 6, 20243 min read
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A NOTABLE EVENT IN MUSIC: SEATTLE SYMPHONY HAS A NEW FEMALE MUSIC DIRECTOR, XIAN ZHANG
(Image from Xian Zhang's website. ) In 2024 it's a notable event when a woman wins a permanent management position in a top tier...
rhapsodydmb
Sep 16, 20243 min read
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LONELINESS AND MUSIC
A year and a half ago I wrote a blog about the topic of loneliness because I continued to find a lack of connection with others in the...
rhapsodydmb
Sep 2, 20245 min read
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IN 2024 THE MUSIC WORLD (and AI) HAS NOT "COME A LONG WAY...BABY"...AS THE 1969 VIRGINIA SLIMS' CIGARETTE COMMERCIAL SAID (image created by AI*)
Did you ever wonder what the final dying words were of famous composers? A writer for the online music newsletter Interlude , wondered....
rhapsodydmb
Aug 16, 20244 min read
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THINKING ABOUT DUALITY THINKING
I've been thinking about duality thinking, and how to diminish it. Diminish, because I suspect there is no "cure." All we need is a...
rhapsodydmb
Aug 7, 20246 min read
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MUSIC - "FROM MY VERY FIRST CONTACT ... AND UNWAVERINGLY EVER SINCE..."
Reflected in the title above is a heartfelt comment to mine that he must truly love music. It's the response by my musical...
rhapsodydmb
Aug 5, 20242 min read
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FURTHER THOUGHTS ON "WAR WORDS" AND ON "NO" AS A "COMPLETE ANSWER"?
" Hey, hey, hey - what ya got to say? " For a fun take on speaking one's "peace" (pun intended!), above are the Initial lyrics and video...
rhapsodydmb
Aug 1, 202411 min read
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BETA BLOCKERS: ONE OPTION TO HELP WHEN YOUR BODY BETRAYS YOU IN PIANO LESSONS OR PERFORMANCE
My body betrayed me a few years ago during lessons with two piano teachers. One was my third teacher since taking up piano lessons after...
rhapsodydmb
Jul 19, 202412 min read
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CORRECTING THE ERRANT FINGER - OR ACHIEVING THE DESIRED AUDITORY EFFECT OF A PASSAGE: TWO UNIQUE VISUALIZATION OR "SENSING" SOLUTIONS
There is pain in learning the piano. And there are solutions to reduce the hurt. I'm not talking about tendinitis pain which I battled...
rhapsodydmb
Jul 2, 20247 min read
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THE WONDER OF BUTOH DANCE, ORIGINAL MUSIC -- AND HAPPY GAY PRIDE MONTH!
The evening of June 27 I received a stunning and wonderful gift by attending my eighth Groupmuse* performance in San Francisco at the...
rhapsodydmb
Jun 29, 20244 min read
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COULD YOU HOST A GROUPMUSE PERFORMER IN YOUR HOME OR APARTMENT AND SUPPORT LOCAL MUSICIANS?
Amy Ahn is a remarkable, talented, enthusiastic young Bay Area (CA) performing harpist from a roster of thousands of musicians located...
rhapsodydmb
Jun 18, 20244 min read
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LUCID DREAMING.2 - TO IMPROVE PIANO TECHNIQUE OR WRITE POETRY
View of the aurora borealis on May 10, 2024 across Mono Lake. Photo: Samantha Lindberg from the Mono County Newsletter. Listen to...
rhapsodydmb
May 22, 20245 min read
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LUCID DREAMING.1 - OF MUSIC, POETRY, AND IMAGE? AN INTRODUCTION (See the May 22 followup blog on improving skill in playing an instrument)
"Wave of Emotion" (Photo (c) Jeanette (Stringham) Vonier 2022) ("Ein Traum" by Grieg (orchestral version)) "Music is like a dream. One...
rhapsodydmb
May 11, 20248 min read
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"DONE WHEN THEY ARE BORN" - JACQUELINE DU PRE: THE GENIUS OF MUSICAL UNITY
This gorgeous photo was taken not long ago by my long-time friend Allison Jung when she was standing on deck of a cruise ship leaving the...
rhapsodydmb
Apr 26, 20243 min read
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BEYOND PONTIFICATING: ACTIONS AVAILABLE TO SUPPORT MUSIC AND PEACE
Sky blue and wheat yellow, colors of the Ukrainian flag. Here's a great article from the League of American Orchestras about how musical...
rhapsodydmb
Apr 17, 20244 min read
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ROCKSTARS, MEDICINE, AND MUSIC: LAUREN RISSMAN, MD
Music and medicine - an unlikely combination - seem to be mixing in my recent life. Lauren Rissman, MD, works at the Division of...
rhapsodydmb
Apr 12, 20247 min read
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CURIOSITY IN LIFE AND MUSIC
"The recognition, pursuit, and desire to explore novel, complex, uncertain, and ambiguous events" is as good a definition of "curiosity"...
rhapsodydmb
Apr 11, 20244 min read
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INTRODUCING NEW LATIN AMERICAN GENRES OF FOLK MUSIC, NEW GUITAR, AND NEW GROUPMUSE MUSICIAN TO THE BAY AREA AUDIENCE
Bandola guitar maestro Alejo Cordero, new to the Bay Area just over two years ago from Colombia, South America, presented his first-ever...
rhapsodydmb
Apr 1, 20244 min read
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COACHING VS. REGULAR LESSONS: THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX, OR, THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO SKIN A CAT!
My three kitties (Prince, our 20-lb. "linebacker" pictured here) might not appreciate the above saying, but it perfectly encapsulates...
rhapsodydmb
Mar 24, 20247 min read
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