Practicing: A Musician's Return to Music

By: Glenn Kurtz

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Synopsis: The remarkable odyssey of a classical guitar prodigy who abandons his beloved instrument in defeat at the age of twenty-five, but comes back to it years later with a new kind of passion. With insight and humor, Glenn Kurtz takes us from his first lessons at a small Long Island guitar school at the age of eight, to a national television appearance backing jazz legend Dizzy Gillespie, to his acceptance at the elite New England Conservatory of Music. He makes bittersweet and vivid a young man's struggle to forge an artist's life--and to become the next Segovia. And we see him after graduation, pursuing a solo career in Vienna but realizing that he has neither the ego nor the talent required to succeed at the upper reaches of the world of classical guitar--and giving up the instrument, and his dream, entirely. Or so he thought. For, returning to the guitar, Kurtz weaves into the larger narrative the rich experience of a single practice session, demonstrating how practicing--the rigor, attention, and commitment it requires--becomes its own reward, an almost spiritual experience that redefines the meaning of "success. " Along the way, he traces the evolution of the guitar and reminds us why it has retained its singular popularity through the ages. Complete with a guide to selected musical recordings and methods,Practicingtakes us on a revelatory, inspiring journey: a love affair with music.