In this second part, I need to say that you also need to carve a space in your life to practice your music, one that is sacred, non-negotiable and regular like a clock. For instance, you can decide that very Monday Tuesday Thursday and Saturday, you do 30 minutes of practice from 6 to 6:30, am or pm, don’t matter to me, it’s your choice. If you skip one session, you have to find another day. It can be difficult to do that because life interferes and priorities change. But I am here to tell you that it can be done. I have a busy life and yet, I practice every day, no skipping. And I know a lot of people who are not pros and still follow a strict music routine. They tell me that they do that in order not to feel like little robots that live only to work, sleep and watch a screen. It seems to be a pretty common feeling these days.
What is also very valuable is to feed the passion through the playing. Never stop playing the very songs you know and enjoy. Never stop messing around. Sure, you’re not going to make a lot of progress since you’re in familiar territories, but you will stoke the fire of your passion, you will keep the joy fresh and alive. I always include a little indulgence in my training. After all, I’m here to have fun.
Something else you can do is exploring new territories. I’ve talked in some of my blogs about the Louisiana music factory and the seemingly infinite number of great artists they’ve got on their catalog. But you can also try to play a new style like Bossa Nova or 20th century Hungarian music. It’s a big world out there and a beautiful one, keep the optimism going through the prism of music. The more you discover the more your interest will stay and the more your interest stays, the more you preserve your music.
Happy practice! I’ll see you on the other side.
