I’ve always had many music idols, but watching Tommy Emmanuel shred his guitar on stage left me completely awestruck. The more I practiced, the more I felt like I was never going to reach that level of skill. It was a frustrating and disheartening experience. However, as I began to mingle in the music scene, I discovered that many local musicians were able to achieve the same kind of wonders. How did they do it? I asked around and found out that it all boiled down to one simple thing: practice. But as I practiced day in and day out, I started to wonder if I was doing it effectively.
Fast forward two decades and I’m still just an average guitar player. Despite being in the music education field for nearly a decade, I couldn’t seem to improve beyond a certain point. That is, until one day, it all fell into place. Thanks to my experiences in education and the wonderful music teachers I’ve met along the way, I finally found a way to rapidly improve my music skills.
1. Acquire a New Skill
When your music teacher gives you a new task, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and uncertain. You might struggle to hear the music correctly or get the right sound. It’s okay to start slow and be patient with yourself. Give yourself a few days to practice and don’t be afraid to ask your teacher if the task is appropriate for your skill level. Learning progressively is always the best method.
2. Memorization
Repetition is key. Start practicing at a slow tempo and gradually increase until you achieve your desired speed. Pay attention to your tone and dynamics too. Remember, when you play an instrument, you’re engaging your muscles to perform a specific task. You’re training your muscles to memorize the task, rather than just memorizing it in your head. By doing so, you’re also freeing up your brain to focus on other things.
You can practice mindfully and mindlessly.Â
– Poven
3. Application
Now it’s time to apply what you’ve learned. This is where the real fun begins! Play along with songs, jam with your bandmates, experiment with different sounds and grooves. You can even improvise if you want. If you make mistakes, that’s okay. You can always correct them or change some details to fit with your bandmates. But if you’re learning a classical piece, remember not to improvise.
4. Forget About It
The final step is to practice until it seeps into your muscle memory. You’ll feel a sense of freedom when playing. Not only will you be able to play without stress, but you’ll also want to play more because it’s so satisfying. This is when you’ll feel the urge to record your music and share it with others. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of performing on stage. Once you experience it, you’ll want to do it again and again.
At the age of 40, I decided to test this method on myself. I picked up a new instrument that I knew nothing about: the drums. After just a few classes, I signed up to take the Rockschool Exam at grade 4, and in just 6 months, I went from zero to exam day. I applied this method and focused on the more difficult parts of the songs. When I played the entire piece, I was slower than the original, but I still saw progress and knew I would get there in time. And to my delight, the method worked, and I passed the exam with flying colors.
