Becoming the Instrument

by Kenny Werner

Quincy Jones calls him, “My kind of musician.”

Herb Alpert praised him for helping him regain his musical voice after a fierce creative block.

When he performed with Dizzy Gillespie…

Werner mastered an effortless state of flow in his music.

Kenny Werner has been a world-class pianist, composer, and teacher for 40 years. In 2010, Werner received the Guggenheim Fellowship Award for his seminal work, “No Beginning No End,” a musical journey exploring tragedy and loss, death and transition, and the path from one lifetime to the next.

Now he has coalesced his knowledge into Becoming the Instrument , the highly anticipated sequel to his landmark book, Effortless Mastery , which revolutionized how musicians approach their craft.

In Becoming the Instrument , Werner shares how anyone can experience mastery, drawn from his experience as a musical master. It’s the guide for seeing the highest in oneself and others.

This new book is for anyone who wants to understand the fine art of mastery and how it applies to their own life. He brilliantly yet simply expresses how to lift one’s perceptions from the mundane to a higher plane, and he does it with a sense of humor.

The next level is attainable.

“Mastery is not perfection, or even virtuosity. It is giving oneself love, forgiving one’s mistakes, and not allowing earthly evidence to diminish one’s view of oneself as a drop in the Ocean of Perfection.” ‒ Kenny Werner

Werner shows us how musicians and artists do it. He lifts the curtain on that mysterious process and shows how anyone, even businesspeople, can allow the “master creator” within to lift their performance to its highest level, showing us how to be spontaneous, fearless, joyful, and disciplined in our work and in our life.

Are you ready for an inspiriting journey?

You’ll love this look at how he became top in his field, while explaining his process for the rest of us with absolute clarity in a way no one on that level has ever done before.

Get it now.

Genres: Music

294 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2022

About the author

Kenny Werner is an American jazz pianist, composer, and author.

Reviews

[Tyler G. Warne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, Kenny. For trying to reach the musicians who do not understand how to break free and let themselves find their space. But beyond finding space, they become the instrument to fulfill their intentions and manifest their creative works.

The empathy of an object is something that is difficult to grasp. However, all music is subjective at least in my mind. So to change the object into a subjective form and assume that it has a soul, spirit, or some other pulse, I can fully understand how to connect my intentions through motivation and put them into action. The music comes alive with the connection to the instrument.

This book serves as a reference, one you would need to keep on the shelf and revisit. My own songs need notes but I do not have the instrument until I become it. I will keep reading this book as I continue writing songs. My instrument is out of reach so I will become it. Breathing.

I hope struggling musicians will benefit from this book.

[Bruno Sanches · Rating 2 out of 5]

“Effortless Mastery” was nothing short of a life changing book for me, which I constantly recommend and gift it to other people, so when I discovered Kenny had another book I ordered it right away. This second book was a let down for me, there are some good parts, but I found it repetitive, with lots of stream of consciousness rambling, and also a bit ironic on how much is said about letting go of the ego, while a paragraph rarely goes by without the author talking about himself.

That said, I agree with the key points, and find Kenny’s teachings to be fundamental for an artist to be free. Points such as letting go of the self, becoming a vehicle to express whatever’s inside us (trusting and being grateful to the Muses), self-compassion, having a good reason on why to play, and more. These are all topics of utmost importance for musicians, and Kenny is likely one of the best people who talk about it.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Made it to 30% before I began browsing. As a pianist and organist, I was hoping for specifics I could use, but this is much more stream-of-consciousness rambling. The author confesses to severe ADHD and Tourette's, and I think that comes through in the writing style. Lots of talk of becoming aware of your breathing, imagining yourself full of liquid, etc. -- just not my style. Also he tells "it was then that I became a lifelong Democrat!" and mentions "In November 2016 we became a fact-free society" (he footnotes "the election") -- these were further turn-offs for me.

[Joyce · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise of this self published book is very good and helpful but it's presented in a heavy context New Age theology. Chapters 22 to the end of the book are essentially sermons and evangelistic efforts into New Age theology. For the purpose of the theme, becoming the instrument and working from the space, this book could have stopped after chapter 15. I recommend the preface through chapter 15 if a reader is seeking that kind of information. The rest of the book focuses in a different direction.

[Felicia Antoinette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Kenny for delivering these absolutely beautiful and true messages. There were absolutely some life and musical game changers in here and I’m grateful that you shared. I’m only giving it 4 stars because I think it could have used a few more editing passes and the last fourth of the book was too redundant for me.

[Mark Aspland · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit redundant - it is very difficult to explain how to be mindless and in the zone - those that achieve it fully understand and those that don't continual work towards the goal.

[Ruud · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly a psychological rehash of the first book, but with a bit more focus on practicality.
Very interesting though, exercises to get into the Space, the zone...