Dave Frank – Practice Is The Key To Success

“Within all of us, as deep as the oceans and as individual as a fingerprint, lies an endless flow of original music.” – Dave Frank

For those of you who still don’t know him, let me introduce you to Dave Frank today. Dave, besides being an excellent musician and music educator, he is a great person, generous, humble and with the funniest sense of humor. I feel lucky to collaborate with him from the distance. Let this post be the starting point for long, fruitful and cheerful collaboration between New York (Dave Frank) and Madrid (me, Michael Thallium). Here’s Dave:

What apart from music is the passion of your life?
Seeking God through yoga and meditation.

Who was your most influential teacher, and why?
In music –Lennie Tristano, as he taught me how to play jazz and became the role model for my life. In life, Paramahansa Yogananada, his teachings and practices have transformed my life experience. Yogi Bhajan, master of kundalini yoga, as well.

How do you relax?
I tickle my wife.

What is your favourite book, and why?
Autobiography of a Yogi, by Yogananada, because it was able to able to answer the really difficult questions about life.

You can have dinner tonight with a famous person—who would it be and why?
Colonel Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken. No reason.

Practice – The key to success

by DAVE FRANK.

My path in life is about practice. When you practice what you truly love with feeling, the universe opens up to you. The highest benefit of practice, besides the improvement in whatever you are practicing –is that your mind becomes quieter and absorbed in what you are doing. This state of mental quietness and absorption is the doorway to the higher aspects of life. Practice becomes a personal haven for you and you alone, in which to dwell in what you love and forget about the rest! Setting a really high life-goal for yourself (even something that may seem unattainable), and then charting a course through practice to make continual progress toward your dream – is giving yourself the gift of a happy, interesting, and meaningful life.

For me, the most important things to do to achieve life-goals are these:
Find a GREAT teacher, a master in what you seek to learn, and take regular lessons with your chosen teacher.
Decide on what you want to achieve, and with the help of your teacher, set forth a clear, step-by step practice routine that will take you where you want to go.
Follow through on your plan for a long time with enjoyment and regularity

Rinse and repeat for the rest of your life. You’ll be a HAPPY person.

Dave Frank
www.davefrankjazz.com
22 in-depth free master classes are located here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/Dfrankjazz
http://www.ustream.tv/user/dfrankjazz
(No commercials during the classes)

Blessings and keep swingin form NYC!

You can also find Dave on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dfrankjazz. Check the following video and enjoy an example of how to create an improvisation from a walking bassline: