So true and inspiring.
I recently was learning a song ont he piano and I have so much trouble reading, and with playing fast. I was convinced I would never be able to play it a full speed. Well the other day, when my fingers were properly warmed up, I got there. It wasn't flawless, but I did not hesitate as much and it was almost up to par. Then another time, it wasn't so great. I I know now, I need to warm up properly and be alert while playing and with time, I will play it more and more at full speed without hesitations or mistakes. It gives me confidence to keep going.
Now, it inspired me for something I need to try, due to lack of money, which is audio sound cleaning and mixing. So I looked up a bunch of tutorials and I will take small clips, pradtice, try things out, practice, until I get a decent result and can go on with the bigger project.
It's all these little victories that are the proof that we can succeed in the future when we practice enough.
It's easy to forget and get discouraged when we don't get there yet. We just need to keep reminding ourselves of those other victories to motivate ourselves to keep at it.
A famous musician, I don't remember his name, once commented that Rachmaninoff practiced playing so slowly. I'm a complete amateur at the piano, but it's amazing what you can learn by taking things in tiny little bites. It took me a long time to learn Rachmaninoff's Prelude Op 23 #4, but I finally got it, and I can play it at the proper tempo. What I do is learn one measure at a time; just one. I play it till it's down pat.
The next day I play that measure a few times, and then I go back and play what I know from the beginning of the piece until the measure I just learned. I then go to the next measure. I'm now about 3/4 of the way learning the Prelude Op 23 #6, and I continue to play #4 to keep it in my head.
I'll never be a concert pianist, but it is absolutely heavenly to be able to play a difficult piece of music relatively well.
I've published about 10 books. The first one took me 10 years. The last one took a few months. I'm not an English major, and English isn't even my first language. Practice, practice, practice. Persistence pays.
That's amazing! :) Yup, practice and we can succeed.
Thank you, I'm glad to hear that you're inspired. I have learned so many things from simple tutorials on youtube that is unbelievable.
The big successes are made from small wins; you got it right ;)
Keep on going, no matter what, that is the strategy.
Absolutely. What an amazing resource at our fingertips: the internet. Through it, we have the ability to learn just about any skill by reading, watching and then trying it ourselves. To not get distracted is the biggest challenge.
To not get distracted, the focus is like a muscle; you can train it. The more you stay focused, the better you get at it, and over time it will come naturally. ;)
Thanks for the encouragement. As with most things, time and consistent effort are key. It's so natural to want the instant fix instead.
Oh yes, focus. Sometimes, I am so focused, it's like mindfulness meditation, other times I'm just so distracted lol That too comes with practice ;)
I hear you there!