Piano Success
“Do or do not, there is no try…” a wise green being once said to a future Jedi in training.
But in that statement is a gem of counterintuitive advice. “Do not.” A huge fallacy in the learning process is that we have to constantly be studying information. From the first day of school, we’re deluged with an endless stream of facts and forced to memorize everything mindlessly. It’s a very shallow, surface level method of learning. I believe part of this has to do with the relentless action-taking credo of today’s society. There’s this idea that success is constant, never-ending work. It’s Workaholism 101. “You were here until 11 last night? Oh yeah, well I stayed past midnight!!!” We think of overworking and under-sleeping as a badge of honor when it’s the worst possible for our health, relationships, and career. To think of it as food, we’re basically being taught to stuff our faces until our stomachs explode. Take exercise. When you work out, what’s happening is you’re breaking down and tearing apart muscles which will then grow back stronger. But that’s ONLY if you have that crucial recuperation period. Constantly working out just causes injury (SNAP!). Well, the brain is the same way. Would it surprise you if I told you the brain is most active when you’re sleeping? Because IT IS (scout’s honor). Scientific studies have shown this to be true. So a brain at rest isn’t necessarily a brain that’s regressing.
Think about those times you found a solution to difficult, perplexing problems (a.k.a . on the tip of my tongue syndrome).
You most likely found it when you were doing something like showering, washing the dishes, or brushing your teeth. Moments when you’re not actively thinking. Which is actually productive thinking (mind blown!). Of course I have to stress that this way of learning only works if you’ve been active! Please don’t think that being more of a couch potato is going to lead you to a Ph.D. When I first thought of this concept I had flashbacks to when I was in college. I remember I would play my best piano one or two weeks after juries (live music exams) had ended. And this was on top of not even touching the piano the entire time! The key to successful performance was right at my fingertips (no pun intended) and I mistook it for a fluke. But don’t limit this to just practice, work or learning. Think of relationships with your family, friends or significant other. When’s the last time you shared quality time? Even when I see people spending time with each other they’re still constantly doing something. Watching media, television, or doing work side by side. When’s the last time you shut everything down and enjoyed each other’s pure presence? Don’t get me wrong. Your success in life depends on action, MASSIVE action. But the thing is, you need periods of self-introspection to evaluate if you’re doing the right things that will lead you to where you want to go. So take time to smell the roses. Stop what you’re doing once in a while and allow yourself to pause for some deep contemplation. Sit and listen. The feedback you will get is gold. Then apply it and get back to your course of action. Happy practicing!
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The Benefits of Repetition in Learning Piano
It’s obvious you have to go through endless repetition to get better at anything. Legend says it took Thomas Edison 10,000 tries to invent the light bulb(!) That’s the power of repetition.
Benefits of Repetition in Learning Piano
However, there are 3 important distinctions to be made to make sure repetition is effective: focus, quality and consistency.
First, concentrate on one single thing at a time (which is what focus really is). It goes without saying that multitasking is a myth. What people think of multitasking is really just their brain rapidly shifting from one activity to the next. So when you’re listening to a lecture on audio, writing a paper, and texting on your phone, all at the same time, it’s no surprise you don’t see great returns on your investment of time. Just remember that Bruce Lee said, “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” Repetition is key. Second, quality of repetition is a game changer. Look, if you hustle your butt off and take massive action good things will happen to you but that’s only if you’re taking the right type of action. Just saying hello in the mirror10 times in a row isn’t automatically going to make your introduction better. After each repetition, focusing on things like inflection, projection, clarity, and intonation will make a difference. Last but not least, keep in mind consistency of repetition. 10 free throws make or miss do not improve your percentage. But 10 in a row does. Try thinking about your favorite restaurant. I have one, and the reason why I go back time and time again is their customer service and quality of food is always consistent. If you want to be a Jedi at what you do, volume + quality + consistency of repetition are what will lead the way.
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Think of a time you really wanted something. You just had to have it.
Did it seem as if the more you wanted it the further away it got from you? Now think of a time when you really didn’t need something, but it would be nice if you got it. Did you seem to get “that” more often and more easily? Funny how it works. What was really happening is you were thinking of either process or result. Compare a popular dude to a guy who obsessively wants a girlfriend. The desperate usually don’t get what they want. The “abundant” usually do. Take a sports game for example. Usually a team gets out of sync when they’re thinking of results. They play “not to lose.” They’re afraid of losing and as a result actually lose the game (too much focus on results). The team who ends up winning is the team who is in a flow, the team who actually looks like they’re having more fun than trying to win (focus on process). That’s why good coaches reward hustle, no matter the end result. Because when you work hard you get good results. When you work for results, you usually don’t work hard (or you work harder than you have to). Process Over Outcome
So when you sit down to practice piano, or whatever it is you do, let go of the results.
The point of practice is not to get every note right. Focus on enjoying the process and loving the action and as much as possible. A composer loves to compose, she doesn’t aim for the result of a composition. The composer loves the journey of writing the music because she knows the destination of finishing the composition is over in a heartbeat. Love the act of creating more than the creation itself. Think process over outcomes.
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