Almost all of my students have said to me at one time or another..."I just can't find time to practice." My reply is always..."You have to MAKE the time to practice." And that is true, you will never find the time, you have to MAKE the time.
But when you finally make the time, be in a good frame of mind. This special time is for you to reach an almost meditative state. Be calm, focused and happy to be spending time with yourself working on your passion. You owe it to yourself to be able to carve out the time, even if it's just 30 minutes.
I always get a cup of coffee and have what I'd like to work on in my head or even written out, you know like A-D or 1-5. And I also let myself change the plan if I feel strongly about a last minute thought that pops into my head. Remember music is not a competition, you are not doing battle with yourself. Chill man, this is supposed to be fun. We don't learn effectively if your "cramming" or "rushing" thru a practice session. It's not the quantity of hours your put in, it's the quality of the time used.
Believe it or not sometimes when your brain is sorting things out you will be away form the instrument, for instance as you sleep, or when you are doing another task. Haven't you ever been doing something like enjoying the morning cup of Joe when suddenly a light bulb goes on. "Ding!" all of a sudden you know you have it (whatever "it" maybe at the time). That wasn't done at the practice session, incredibly your mind was still putting all the pieces together away from the kit. This will happen if you stay relaxed and focused at the practice session. Now it is not to say that you won't have a breakthrough at the session. Of course you will have more breakthroughs at your session than not. But only if you are relaxed and not stressed out by the daily grind of minutia.
And lastly be your own best friend here. Enough people will try to beat you down during the day, don't be one of them. Encourage yourself, set realistic goals, and relax, CHILL baby!!
Comments