I think my work is a big benefit. It's a full brain and body workout 5,6 days/wk. It may look like nothing when you see us on TV, but the stuff we do is very physically demanding. 2.5 hours of nonstop exertion. Playing quiet passages are twice as painful as playing loud ones. You need a strong core to sit upright (on the front 6" of the seat, bent forward at 15°) for 30-minute stretches of time. There is a cardio element, as well: the most physically active playing is almost always at the end of those 45-60 minute long pieces (da big boffo finish). There have been times when I've finished the last 2-3 minutes of a Mahler or Beethoven symphony in oxygen debt.

Brain scans of people who listen to music display lit-up cognitive areas of the brain like almost no other stimuli. Brain scans of people who are making music light up like fireworks.

I have noticed some slight decline in my reflexes over the past 2 years. Example: we play thousands of notes per week. Occasionally, we'll choose a fingering pattern that leads to awkward moments. I used to just jet to a safe orientation spot and carry on my merry way. I plan more now, and improvise less.

This thing we do is all fast-twitch stuff, and the flow of data is nonstop. Produce, or get out.

A couple years back, a friend asked me when I'll retire. My bottom line: "When I can't represent the brand like I always have." I'm not there yet, but for the first time ever, I'm starting to look at it as not some abstract point near the horizon. Two weeks ago, I played a short program with some colleagues at the municipal Youth Treatment Center (read: 'juvie lockup'). At the end of the joint, the kids were allowed to come up and talk with us. One of the teens who approached me asked me how long I'd been playing. It took a second or two to actually do the math. "I've been playing for 57 years." *boom*

This has been more than a hobby, interest, or avocation. It's been more than a means to a paycheck. It's been at the core of who I am since I reached the age of self-awareness. And the thought of not having this as central to my life is absolutely terrifying. This thing I play has been married to me since I was 9 years old. This thing that vibrates in me has been there since birth.

My biggest fear about aging isn't getting old. My biggest fear is becoming irrelevant.

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If I could give any general advice in this thread, it would be this: pick up the musical instrument of your choice, and take some lessons. Lessons from a real musician who specializes in your chosen voice. You don't even have to be good at it; the benefit is in the doing of it. And if you happen to catch fire and really start to take off, the benefits go through the roof.


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