Walking the path of music isn’t easy. Getting into the field isn’t difficult but reaching a level where you enter the league of the greats requires something special. There are numerous people who take up an instrument, learn it a bit, and impress a few people around them. And that’s the whole musical journey for them.
For others, music is their passion. They love this discipline and want to go as far as they can. People belonging to such segments don’t think of music as their hobby. Rather, they wish to personify music in any way they can. Basically, it becomes the way of life.
For those who wish to excel, the path of music can throw some serious challenges. It can make you feel stagnated, still, and at times even make you feel hopeless. There will be times when musicians would feel that they hit a dead-end and that the light at the end of the tunnel might never come. Luckily, we have mapped out a few tips that’ll definitely help you grow as a musician.
Growing as a musician requires you to strike the right balance between working hard and working smart. Because music requires you to invest two dimensions of your life- the physical and the mental. With the right state of mind and a stellar investment of physical energy, no one can stop you from progressing on the musical path. Here are some practice tips that are sure to skyrocket your musical growth.
Get the right mindset
Your attitude towards music can be a significant determinant of your progress. Without the right mindset, you will not have anything to show for even if you invest years.
Be clear in your mind about what you want to do and where you want to go. Before you take up the instrument, take it up in your mental realm. Be there with it for a while. Then map out your practice sessions there only. Visualise and feel yourself in the moment.
This practice will allow you to channel your energies towards your instruments. With a solid mental strength toward the instrument, you’ll be able to do more and get distracted less.
You also have to be highly motivated before you take up the instrument. To get your dose of motivation, you can visit your favorite musician’s Youtube channels and see them nailing their instruments. Remember, if your heroes can do it, you can do it too.
Train your mind to take you towards success and watch it manifest into reality.
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Think Big. Practice Small
You need to think big about where you want to get to. If you are inspired by Dream Theatre and want to fret out Petrucci’s solos, then have that picture in mind. Think as big as you can.
But practice one thing at a time. No one becomes a Petrucci or Satriani in a day. It takes years and years of dedication to reach that level. If you try to do it all at once, there’s a high chance that you’ll fail miserably. There’s even a possibility that you’ll get demotivated enough to quit music altogether.
The smart move here is to chunk out your practice sessions. Suppose you want to learn a solo that’s really technical. You must break it into pieces and do one chunk at a time. Until you master one thing, you shouldn’t jump on to something else. This way, you’ll have quality work.
Gradual progress always reaps the best results, and that’s the concept that you must inculcate into your daily practice.
Have realistic growth expectations from yourself. Being realistic will also keep you motivated since it’s easy to ace short-term goals. You can also be a little harder on yourself and add in some personal challenges to conquer. But that’s something completely at your discretion.
Remember, there’s something called a healthy hustle, and there’s something that can be detrimental for you. Be aware and set the right practice momentum for yourself.
Stay Consistent
This is one thing that shall up your game remarkably. Staying consistent is a problem for many. Especially in the contemporary world where basically distractions come looking for you. Your phone, TV, or even your pet can be too tempting at the time of practice.
The key is to ignore all of theses things and practice with pinpoint focus. Irregular practice has seldom generated results for anyone. A musician who practices 20 minutes every day will progress faster than those who practice 5 hours every weekend.
This can pose some challenges initially, but there are a couple of things you can do to overcome this barrier. First, maintain a practice log. A small diary or a journal where you time every day’s practice. It’s easy to lose track of time when there’s no record of it. Keeping a log will also help you track your progress. You will know after some time whether you should give yourself a pat on the back or you need to gear up with your practice routine.
Second, you can also pair up with a fellow musician for your practice sessions. This is a great way to stay on track. Anyone who slacks will be motivated by the other one for the practice—a win-win for both.
Warm-up. The Right Way.
The right warm-up will set the direction for your practice. This is where you can have all the fun you want before you get to the real deal. Get experimental, wander around a little bit with your instrument. You can also work on a few rough ideas to make the warm-up session interesting.
A right warm-up will set the right direction for your practice. Jumping directly into the practice session can be stressful and cause you to be nervous. It is always better to ease yourself into the session.
Being mindful of this can really engage you with your instrument. Let your muscles get relaxed and comfortable. Just remember, this is the ground where your practice for the day shall build up. Make the most of it.
Become Friends with Boredom
Practice routines can become boring. Sure, you can do certain things to spice them up, but at their core, they can sometimes bore the hell out of you. Don’t give up. Don’t jump on to something else. Stay focused.
When you have to do the same thing daily, it can become quite tempting to get involved in other distractions. But that could be detrimental to your practice sessions.
The key is to stick with something and repeat it 100 times. And when you master it, do it a few times more to ensure that it’s registered in your muscle memory. Especially for guitarists and pianists or any instrumentalist for that matter. It can get really boring for them to play the same scales up and down to the metronome clicks. But that’s what’s gonna build the base.
Remember, the building can go as high as you want as longs as the foundation is solid. Practice sessions can be boring, but they are necessary. Look past the temporary boredom and have the bigger picture in your mind.
Record Yourself
Some mistakes are too obvious for your ears to catch. However, while learning, musicians can make subtle mistakes that are hard to catch while practicing. Recording yourself will give you the chance to see and hear what you do.
Sometimes you can have the wrong posture. Or the wrong pick movement. Or any subtle mistake, for that matter. With video recordings, you can see your mistakes and rectify them later. This tip is also highly effective for singers. All in all, this will help you identify and remedy the mistakes you might miss in the moment.
Recording yourself will also allow you to see the room for betterment. While playing, you may tend to fixate on certain playing tendencies. A player may not notice things, but spectators can see different possibilities of how one thing can be played.
Record your work and become your own spectator. You’ll be amazed at the variety of new ideas that come your way through this practice.
Make room for breaks
What happens to a machine that runs all the time? It breaks down. Similarly, breaks are just as important for musicians as their practice. Never be so hard on yourself that you end up burned out.
Breaks are a healthy way to regain your stamina and jump back to practice with a stronger foot. Constant hustle might look nice on paper, but in reality, it can be damaging for anyone.
Sure, sometimes your work demands extra effort, and you must be willing to put that in. But when you see yourself becoming disoriented, it is time to consider a break.
Maintain a healthy balance of playing and breaking, and this is one thing that’ll significantly boost your musical growth.
There will be times when you’ll be so involved that you won’t need a break at all. That’s a good thing. But other times, continuous practice can lead to frustration. Avoid that at all costs. Do what comes naturally, and you’ll progress faster on the journey.
Be In Tune
If you can write this phrase on your wall, then do that. This can never be emphasised enough. Always tune your instruments before you practice.
Your ears register and get comfortable with sounds when you play something repetitively. If you aren’t in tune, you can develop a misguided ear, and that can be really dangerous. Being in tune is really crucial.
Nowadays, with the help of several tools, you can get in tune easily. There are several applications as well to assist you in this regard. Spare a few minutes before each practice session to build the right ear for yourself.
Listen To the Right Music
A good practice routine isn’t just the time you spend with your music. It’s also dependent on the time you spend when you aren’t playing. Who you listen to can have a deep impact on how you play.
It is always advisable to follow and listen to the musicians whose style inspires you. That’s one of the best ways to escalate your growth. The musicians you follow are bound to have an impact on your playing style. Be selective with what you listen to.
Also, pay close attention to what they play and how they play it. Those are experts in the domain and know what they are doing. They will always be your best source of learning new things because they are where you wish to reach.
This is a great way to gather new ideas and incorporate them into your playing. Sure, you shouldn’t become a copycat, but you can always take inspiration and give it a personal flavor. That’s the way to progress.
Don’t Chase Perfection
There is no such thing as perfection. Many musicians chase perfection and end up on mediocre levels only because they couldn’t be ‘Perfect.’ This is one barrier that becomes really hard for musicians to overcome.
It doesn’t mean you should become complacent. It simply means that you shouldn’t let mistakes become a reason for frustration.
Allow yourself to make mistakes. There is no need to be frustrated with that. Just believe that the hard work you put into your practice will surely reap results one day. Chasing perfection can often be a discouragement and can lead you to leave your instrument altogether.
Final Thoughts
Establishing good practice habits is crucial on any musical journey. Everything from surroundings to posture to practice routines can impact the type of musician you will become. Remember, it is natural for musicians to feel stagnated and hopeless. But only those who stay strong and continue the practice regardless of the obstacles are the ones who become successful.
If you also wish to enter the league of the greats, then you have a solid road map to your destination. Just keep practicing, and before you know, you’ll achieve what you dreamt of.
