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Beyond Comparison

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  Richard Wyce August 28, 2026 Beyond Comparison Become the best human being you can become—not so that you can stand above others, but so that you have more to offer them. I have come to think that this is one of the simplest ways to express what a meaningful life might be. Human beings naturally want to learn, improve, achieve and feel that their lives matter. There is nothing inherently wrong with ambition. The distinction that matters is between wanting to become better and wanting to be better than someone else . The first is growth. The second is comparison. Modern life encourages us to compare wealth, education, appearance, intelligence, achievement, influence and recognition. We construct hierarchies and then, often without realizing it, confuse a person’s position within them with that person’s worth. But differences in ability, circumstance and accomplishment do not establish differences in inherent human value. A wealthy person is not more human than a poor p...
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The Instrument as an Unintended Factor in Auditions

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  The Instrument as an Unintended Factor in Auditions Even when musicians are evaluated with complete integrity, audition conditions may introduce variables that adjudicators cannot fully control. In a symphony orchestra audition, two musicians may have nearly equivalent ability, technical skill, and experience, yet one may be assessed more favourably partly because of the instrument used. For example, Musician A may play an exceptional Stradivarius, while Musician B uses a competent but less distinguished instrument. The panel may hear greater richness, complexity, or projection from Musician A and attribute it to musicianship, when some of it may stem from the instrument itself. A superior instrument may also be more responsive and easier to play, requiring less effort to produce sound, dynamics, and expression, thereby enabling a wider expressive range with less exertion. This creates a methodological concern: the instrument’s advantage may be neither intentional nor fully ...
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  Richard Wyce - Cellist The changing world of the 21st century. August 21, 2022 Radio, Television, and now the Internet, have completely changed how human beings communicate with one another . Are we overcrowding our brains with too much information and if so, how does that affect how we live? For as long as I can remember I have been asking myself the question: how can I say something new to my fellow human beings that hasn’t been said time and time again before?  My father always told me that every word we say has been thought of and said before; so if that is true, how can we say something original? Perhaps the Arts are one answer? Traditionally Music, Painting and the  Visual Arts, and Writing have always been the preferred methods, but with today’s mass media this has all somehow got jumbled up together, and is so accessible to the general public that we seem to have lost the ability to discern the difference between greatness and, at its best, mediocrity. Indeed mu...
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The art of interpretation.

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  The art of interpretation   Richard Wyce February 25, 2022 On interpreting interpretation. Interpretation is the act of explaining, reframing, or otherwise showing your own understanding of something . A person who translates one language into another is called an interpreter because they are explaining what a person is saying to someone who doesn't understand.   A composer attempts to express himself/herself with notation that will then be conveyed to an audience by a musician or musicians. This presents challenges to the performers depending on how much detail has been included in the original composition. There are many factors that have to be taken into account, such as tempo, rhythm, phrasing, volume of each passage and the understanding of the piece as a whole. In other words: musicians have to “translate” the notes the composer has written into music so that the audience can understand what the composer is trying to say. If the composer is still living, ...
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 My brother, Jon Wyce the busker. Busker:  a person who performs music or other entertainment in the street or another public place for monetary donations . Introduction. My brother was born Jonathan Charles Wyce on January 24th 1949  He was born with yellow jaundice which was very serious at that time. The doctors did not think he would survive, but he did, although weakened and somewhat fragile as a consequence of the illness. Because of his fragile state my mother always had a special bond with my brother and was always quite protective of him. The only person my father really loved was my mother, so because of her, he was less of a bully with him than he was with me or my sister. Also, because of his more passive, gentle nature my brother never was able to fight back against my father; he would either say nothing or just leave the room. This used to infuriate my father, but he couldn’t do much about it because it would upset my mother too much. As Jonathan always used...
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How our childhood environment is a major factor in how our destinies unfold. I don’t know if you have ever stopped to think about why you are who you are or what makes you make one decision over another? As a young musician I once had a heated discussion with a fellow musician about whether we could control our own destinies: he was sure we could not and I, (in my naivety), believed we could. As I grew older I started to think more and more about this question and I gradually came to realize that my friend was right: we have no control over our destinies. Here’s why I have come to the conclusion that we do not really control our destinies: Where you are born, who your parents are, how you were brought up and whether you were loved or not as a child are all enormous factors in how you think and make decisions. Then there is also the gene factor that contributes to the way your health and emotions work, (or don't work). We don’t have control of any of these factors Here is the story ...
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  Welcome to the musings of Richard Wyce; musician, artist, teacher and writer. I have an official website for professional content. (https://richardwyce.com) So this blog is a more personal approach with more general content about life, the arts, and how we can all find ways to achieve more. Achieving a balanced life. When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I think is how lucky I am. Although I am not rich financially I am so rich in every other sense, with my wonderful partner in life and a beautiful family. (Two daughters and three amazing grandchildren). The next thing I think about is what I will be doing with the day. I have been a musician for almost my whole life, so I know that part of the day will be dedicated to playing/practising the cello. Then I have to decide how will spend the rest of the day, maybe reading, writing, painting, studying music or just relaxing with other activities; (photography, swimming, shopping, visiting with friends etc.) As you may gather...
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