Holy... [noun].

My mind hath been blown. There is an entire field - teachers, books, seminars - devoted towards learning how to learn music. Not just how to play music. How to learn to practice music. The history of it. The cognitive science of it. The biomechanics of it (how do the muscles in your forearm help you produce good tone on the piano keys? relax your shoulders and the sound changes!). The mathematics of it, after a manner. (Beethoven and group theory, here).

How does the way I carry my body affect the engineering work that I'm able to do? I hear about proper posture for RSI prevention, but not about how my body mechanics (and body language!) affect what I say and think, how people perceive me. How do I "practice" engineering? How do I learn it?

Depending on how in-demand the Fenway House* piano is this summer, and if I have time, I may try this book and see how it goes. I'm well aware that I want to learn a million things and can't learn them all, so we'll see what I actually end up studying this summer.

Also, a great, not-too-technical introduction to the acoustics of stringed instruments (primarily the violin).

And I need to focus on work again. This has been my autodidactic break. Ach. I wish I had time to go chase this interest down - I want to go to the piano now, and play...

*Oh, yeah. I'm living at Fenway - along with Gui, Joe, and Chris - this summer. It will be interesting, and not just because of the company - I'm (very, very mildly) allergic to cats, and have always secretly wondered how I'd adapt to living in a house with one. (Also, I won't be around the house that often.)