Tips For The Young Musician Vol. 13

Jenn Cohen | March 1, 2012 | 0 Comments

by Stephan Hume

Everybody thinks they would like to snap their fingers and be a superstar. If only it worked that way, right? If only we could blink our eyes and go from having no skill on an instrument to being a virtuoso. Well let me tell you; this is never going to happen. And you should be thankful.

After asking several students and teachers about this topic, I have come to the conclusion that there is something much more wholesome and rewarding about practice and appreciation for the work it takes to get from one point to the next. With that being said, I invite you to consider a few ideas:

Set Realistic Goals:

Music is a language. We learn to speak the language of music the same way we learn to speak our native language. We learn one word at a time, and by listening to others who are more affluent than we are. This is a realistic goal for learning anything. A baby is not going to learn to speak French by giving them a stack of diagramed sentences and expecting them to go off into a room and “practice” their language. This is unrealistic, and also torture, I believe. Why treat your musical adventure this way?

Surround Yourself With Masters:

That same baby will learn to speak French much more quickly by hanging out with his or her parents. A baby’s parents are masters of their language, arguably, in comparison to their newborn child. By being immersed in an environment where a new language is being spoken, you learn to speak the language out of repetition and necessity. What if you looked at becoming a master on your instrument the same way? Surround yourself with those who can outplay you, or more appropriately, those that are more fluent in the language of music. You will learn much quicker than just on your own.

Make Mistakes With Laughter:

You are not going to learn anything without making mistakes. If you accept this truth, then you should never have anything to fear when learning. And, if you accept this, then why not laugh yourself into mastering your language? Think of a time you said something that sounded nothing like what you meant to say. Didn’t you laugh? You did not mean to say it that way, but you did, and there was no turning back. I sure hope you laughed and carried on with your life. Learning music should be the same. Play the wrong notes with a grin on your face. Or better yet, do it more than once and people will be convinced you meant to do it that way!

Be Happy With Where You Are:

You can improve, but you are never better than you are right now, so be happy about it!