Today we're joined by our good friend and LA Phil principal cello, Robert deMaine. Bob tells us about his childhood, his musical family and an early teacher who gave him a complete musical education, including piano and composition.

He also unpacks how he fell out of love with the cello during his teen years and took an extended break from playing. Eventually he found his way back and went on a tear, pursuing a solo career and at the same time winning principal jobs in Hartford, Detroit, and finally Los Angeles.

Bob doesn't hold back as he discusses anxiety, negative self-talk, and the long road toward mastery of an instrument.

Key Points From This Episode:

* Different orchestral seating arrangements* Bob's upbringing, important places and inspiration from his family* Having and then losing the best music teacher in the world* The difference between relative pitch and perfect pitch* Disasters in ice cream shops and disasters on stage* Bob's early jobs in music and testing boundaries with senior musicians* The Detroit Symphony and the strike that ended with Robert moving to LA* Bob's audition for the LA Phil and the hand problem he had leading up to it* The steps toward improvement and how they widen as you grow as a musician* Differences between teaching and coaching; bringing out the best in students* Recreating sounds, learning accents and the power of cultivating the ear* The event that precipitated Bob's performance anxiety, and the way through it* Upcoming projects for Bob, including his

Tweetables:

“I grew up playing on my mother's cello, and my sister played the cello that my mother played when she was a child, and it was a real beater.” — @robertdemaine [0:06:35]

“I don’t think I would have played as well as I did had it not been exactly that way. So much of it has to do with just timing.” — @robertdemaine [0:39:15]

“I’ve never really separated how one prepares for a symphony concert versus how one prepares for a concerto.” — @robertdemaine [0:39:51]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

* Robert deMaine on Twitter* Robert deMaine* Strings Magazine* Mariano Rivera* Leonard Rose* Janos Starker* Eastern Music Festival* Juilliard* Curtis* Central State University* Eastman* Good Will Hunting* Dexter* Days of Wine and Roses* Irving Klein Competition* Paul Paray* George Szell* Neeme Jarvi* Joseph Silverstein* Sliding Doors* The Matrix* Goofus and Gallant*