Quote:
I'd be happy to be an average good piper but I'm lazy when its comes to practice.
RORY
Honestly, that was my problem as a musician for many years. I had a lot of natural talent, and could pick things up very very quickly. However my ability to focus during a practice session was terrible, and I would only find the inspiration to actually pick up my instrument once or twice a week. This was before conservatory, of course, but even then diligence and focus were my greatest weaknesses.
The 25-minutes with a timer (also known as the Pomodoro Technique) was transformational for me. As long as I made sure to practice the same tune and technique each time I played for a week or two, the progress was shockingly good.
To Richard's point, I wonder how many adult learners fail to reach their full potential simply because they never learned how to practice effectively? There is woefully little literature out there on the art of practicing, and most experts came by it because of the coincidence of the right elements: focus, diligence, natural talent, environment, mentors.
I just see adult learners give up after a few years, truly believing that they don't have enough talent, and it's heartbreaking really. In all my years of study, through dozens of teachers, none of them ever taught me how to practice, set goals, and make plans to achieve them. They just focused on critiquing my playing and introducing new repertoire. If someone sat me down when I was 10, or 25 for that matter, and showed me that effective practice doesn't take hours and hours a day, I'd be a different player. The problem was I compared myself to really really good players, and just imagined that they lived a life I never could: slaves to their instruments, deeply passionate and focused, and having no other hobbies or life outside of the one instrument. Now I know that archetype is a total myth.
So my question for you, Rory: Are you ok with your current ability as a piper? If not, as you indicated in your last comment, what would need to change in order for you to get better?
Or to paraphrase Mr. Gumby has he aptly described it in several conversations in the archives: Get an impression in your head of what you wish you could sound like. What would need to happen for you to get there as a player? I contest that it doesn't take 10,000 hours to become a decent player.