The Fastest Way to Learn a Musical Instrument Guaranteed

Music teachers and music students will achieve more if they understand a truth about how the human brain is hard-wired: We are designed to forget things.

That’s right.  Remembering is rare.  Forgetting is normal.

Once you come to terms with this reality, everything changes for you.  You won’t be so hard on yourself for forgetting to do something or for not being able to memorize your music quickly.  You’ll know that you need written lists to guide you through your practicing and your other activities of the week.

When music teachers expect their students to forget everything they’re told, a new style of teaching emerges.  Instead of being perplexed by students’ inability to remember things, teachers instead are forgiving.  This sets up a warmer relationship between students and teachers and actually helps students learn more quickly.

Teachers also realize that they need a foolproof system for helping their students remember what and how to practice.  They make sure this system is a central part of their teaching.

Helping musicians remember things is one of the main uses of the Musician’s Practice Planner.  We designed this notebook to make it easy to use.  By putting practice categories in large boxes, musicians get used to looking in the boxes each week for specific items to practice.  Scanning the Weekly Lesson Plan is easy for students since they know to always look in the same place for repertoire or for warmups.

Without a tool like the Musician’s Practice Planner, students are likely to forget nearly everything that was discussed at their lesson.  They won’t know what to practice, and they won’t have any guidance from their teacher between lessons.

If we come to terms with the fact that we are designed to forget, we can quickly see the need to have organized lists to guide us through our time in the practice room.

The Musician’s Practice Planner can be used as a motivational tool to keep musicians on the path of success.  By writing down two key pieces of information, you can use your Practice Planner to clearly guide your achievements.

These two are:

1.  How many days you will practice this week.

2.  How long you will practice on each of those days.

With this information in writing, you have a guideline for the week and a clearly measurable goal.  You can and should feel successful when you reach your goal for the week.

It’s important to make this plan every week to overcome a significant difficulty for musicians: Practicing only when you want to.

Many musicians make the mistake of practicing only when they “feel like it.”  They wait for inspiration and a strong desire to play music before they get started practicing.  This attitude generally leads to very little practicing and very little forward progress.

Thomas Edison famously said that genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.  I think the same could be said about success.  Hard work is simply more valuable than feeling inspired if you want to be successful at achieving your musical goals.

Write down the amount of time you’ll practice this week.  Be realistic about your responsibilities and your schedule.  Plan ahead.  If you decide that you will practice 6 days this week, for a minimum of 45 minutes on each of those days, than write it down in your Practice Planner at the beginning of the week.

Find a spot in your Musician’s Practice Planner to write down this information consistently.  By putting your weekly practicing goals in the same place every week, you build up a positive habit that will help you stick to your plans.

There are several places in the Musician’s Practice Planner where my students generally write down their time goals for the week:

• The  top of the Weekly Lesson Plan page (the left page)
• The top of the Daily Practice Log page (the right page)
• In the “Special Notes for the Week” section of the left page
• In the “Other” section of the left page

Every day, you have to get started with your practicing–no matter what.  It will be easy to keep going once you begin.  Even if you’re tired and don’t feel inspired to play, follow your plan.

Use the information you wrote down at the beginning of the week to keep you motivated every day.  This plan is a promise and a commitment you made to yourself about achieving goals.  Stick to your plan today.

The Musician’s Practice Planner if often praised for its ability to organize practice sessions and keep music students focused. 

There’s another use for this practice notebook that is even more vital: Inspiring musicians.

When musicians feel inspired, they are much more likely to practice regularly and stay focused on their aspirations.  They stay calm in the face of challenges and don’t give up when they encounter difficult music they’re supposed to learn.

There is a section in the Musician’s Practice Planner that is designed specifically for the purpose of inspiring students.  This section is the “Special Notes for the Week” space on the Weekly Lesson Plan page.

Special notes can be anything the teacher feels will most help the student during the time in between lessons.  While it’s tempting to include only ideas for improving technique in these notes, many students need some words that will keep them excited about music. 

The interesting thing is that these words often arise spontaneously during a lesson when teachers and their students are really connecting.  Conversations during the lesson often lead to insights which are perfect to include in the Special Notes section.

Often, these words of wisdom are more important to the student than their list of what and how to practice.  The Special Notes can be the inspiration for for playing music every day.

When we first created the Musician’s Practice Planner, the idea was to give music students a tool that would help them achieve their goals.  The specifics of time spent practicing, metronome markings, and lists of practice items are merely details in the broader scheme.  The real focus is goal achievement, and keeping students inspired is one of the best ways to help them meet and beat their goals.

Handheld digital recorders are fast becoming a favorite item for musicians.  There are many musical uses for these handy devices, from recording your practicing to recording rehearsals and archiving your performances.

In the age of Facebook, YouTube, MySpace, personal blogs, and band websites, many musicians are realizing the need to have video as part of their everyday life.

The problem for many years has been that video cameras have had high picture quality but so-so sound quality.  That has all changed recently as companies are developing handheld video recorders with an emphasis on high audio quality.

Some of these products are being designed specifically for musicians!  They include high-quality condenser microphones that are capable of capturing a  full-spectrum audio recording.  Many other video cameras (as well as digital voice recorders) capture the human voice well, but any high or low frequencies generally sound terrible. 

The power of these devices to transform your daily musical routine cannot be underestimated.  Having an audio recording of yourself is great, but video completely changes the way you do everything.  After all, if a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video must be worth a million.

With video, you can hear yourself AND watch yourself on playback.  For practicing it will sometimes be the visual aspect that will give you the solution to a section of your music that doesn’t sound the way you want it to.  You may be able to see a small adjustment in your posture, embouchure, positioning,  curvature of your fingers, angle of your neck and head, or height of your shoulders that will immediately take care of the issue.

You can make similar decisions by watching video of rehearsals and performances.  Just like professional athletes who watch videos of games to make improvements, all musicians can benefit from seeing video of themselves in action.

Having some form of video is better than none, and in a pinch, you can make do with other electronics you already own:

–cell phone to record sound and shoot video

–digital camera: shoot a short video

–web cam and microphone: film yourself

Even poor sound quality is better than nothing.  However, you should consider moving up to a high quality handheld video recorder. 

Two of these devices that have recently come to market are the Zoom Q3, made by Samson (www.samsontech.com), and the Alesis VideoTrack (www.alesis.com).  They were both featured at the recent NAMM show, the industry trade show where music products are introduced.

You should try out several models to see what works for you.  But, it is definitely time to take the plunge into digital video!

Basic human nature fights against musicians who want to learn to play a musical instrument efficiently.  Keeping a music practice log helps you fight back.

Without a special notebook for music lessons and practice sessions, music students stand little chance in dealing with two factors in the framework of the human brain:

1.  Our tendency to forget almost everything we see and hear.

2.  Our attraction to what’s already familiar to us.

Let’s explore forgetfulness first.

Everybody is exposed to too much information every day.  Most of this information never makes its way into long-term memory.  This is completely normal!  Our brain is designed to filter out sensory input that doesn’t seem important or relevant.

What this means for music students is that they will most likely forget what they are supposed to practice.  Not only will they forget the items on their practice list, but they will also forget the specific strategies that will help them achieve their musical goals.  Music students absolutely must leave every music lesson with these strategies written down if they are to have any hope of remembering what to do between lessons.

Focusing on what’s familiar is the second part of human nature that works against musicians.

It’s no secret that many musicians just play music they know and like whenever they practice.  They avoid anything difficult, new, or unfamiliar.  This tendency slows down progress since new material is never tackled, and returning to next week’s music lesson without making forward progress makes the lesson boring for both teacher and student.

However, in between lessons it’s hard to work on new material.  It’s easy to avoid anything unfamiliar–especially if there is no clear list of exactly what new material should be covered and how it should be approached.  Playing what you already know is fun.  And, it feels good.  Having fun by keeping to what is familiar is the very aspect of human nature that a music practice log helps us fight.

In the Musician’s Practice Planner, categories for practice items are clearly laid out with plenty of room to write in detailed strategies and goals.  Seeing repertoire, exercises, and scales in distinct boxes is much better for students than just making a list of these items.  It becomes obvious to music students (and their parents–for young students) that each box represents a separate part of their practice session.

They will remember what to practice, how to practice, and why to practice when they see each box of information.  And, by writing down what gets worked on each day, they can keep their practicing balanced by making sure they work on every item–every day.  Music teachers can help create this balance by giving clear instructions on how each practice session should be organized.

Your basic human nature does not serve you when it comes to learning to play music.  Unless you keep a special music notebook to organize and track your progress, you are likely to forget what to do when you start practicing.  This leads to just playing what you already know.

Music recitals are rituals for young musicians learning to play a musical instrument.  These performances are usually seen by music lesson teachers as opportunities to perform music in public for the first time and to show off the skills that have been developed by the music students.

Sometimes, however, students don’t want to participate in a recital, and anyone who has attended one of these public displays has seen music students who look like they’re being led to a firing squad as they walk onto the stage, seem stiff and detached as they play, and run off stage the second they finish their last note.

There are two main reasons music students behave this way:

1.  Reluctance to be in front of an audience in public.  It can be scary to have so many people looking at you and listening to you.  For many students, this is the first time they’ve been the center of attention in a public setting.

2.  Embarrassment about their musical skills or (lack of) preparation of the music they’re supposed to play.  Young music students can seldom gauge their skills relative to their age or how long they’ve been playing, but many students feel they don’t sound good enough to play in public.

Leaving aside the actual sound made by these students–which may or may not be pleasant to listen to–the more important issue is the psychological one.  We want students to feel confident and to rise to the challenge of putting themselves in new situations.  It’s the job of music teachers to encourage their students to play in public.  This is especially important for young musicians who don’t want to participate in the recital.

Most of our young students aren’t planning to be professional musicians, so the non-music skills that we often think of as peripheral to the music experience actually become central for these kids.  Just getting up in front of an audience and playing becomes more important than what their playing sounds like.

The process of participating in a public music recital re-formulates how students think about themselves.  Music teachers aren’t just teaching their students how to play a musical instrument; they’re giving students an opportunity to:

–Overcome fear

–Boost self-esteem

–Rise to a challenge

–Feel confident in front of an audience

–Build stage presence

–Not give up

–Complete something once it’s started

These are all good reasons to insist that children have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument and play in concerts, and each of these attributes is useful in other areas of life.  Actually, they are more important than playing music for the vast majority of people taking music lessons.

Teachers need to point out this fact to their students (and to the students’ parents) by saying things like, “Wow, you did so great at the recital.  I know you were nervous about getting up in front of an audience and playing, but you did it.  Think of everything else you’ll be able to do now!!!”

Emphasizing the connection between playing in public and achieving success in all areas of life should be a central experience in music lessons.

We forget almost everything we’re exposed to.  Can you imagine if this were not the case?  Your memory would be overflowing with every single item you see, every sound you hear, and every action you take–day in and day out.

Your brain is constantly filtering out information that doesn’t seem important.

This filter has a profound effect on learning to play your instrument.  If you want something you’re working on to make its way into your long-term memory, you have to get through the filter.  You must make certain elements of your music seem very important to give them a place in your memory.

Aiding your memory is one of the key uses of a music practice log like the Musician’s Practice Planner.  First, you absolutely must keep a to-do list of your most important practice items.  Keeping this list in writing will ensure that you remember to go through everything on the list.  Second, keeping a daily practice log will help you remember where to start in today’s practice session.  Seeing your notes from yesterday will jog your memory.

Here’s the ugly truth: Most musicians won’t remember what they did in yesterday’s practice session.  They’ll forget what sections still need work.  They’ll forget their current metronome markings.  They’ll forget exactly what they hoped to return to the next time they pick up their instrument.

The bad news is that many musicians are frustrated by these feelings every day.  They don’t take any action to help their memories, and their musical progress is slow.

The good news?  You can help your memory with a written practice log.  It’s an incredibly easy step that will make your practicing more efficient.

It’s normal to forget.  Remembering actually takes a special effort.

So, make it easy on yourself and be sure to use a music practice log.  Taking a couple minutes to write down what you’re doing will save you hours of wasted practice time, help get rid of frustration, and give you a way to learn faster.

One important reason to use a practice notebook is to remember every item you’re supposed to be learning.  If you don’t write down your practice  to-do list, it will be extremely difficult to know how to start your practice sessions.

Here is what tends to happen to musicians who do not keep a list of practice items in writing:

–They will work on only one item, which will generally be their favorite thing to play.

–Over time, certain skills won’t develop as rapidly as others.  By neglecting technical exercises, musicians are unable to move on to more advanced music.

–Frustration will set in.  Practicing can be pretty boring when you play the same thing over and over.  Switching among items on your practice list gives you more variety when you practice.

A written list that gives a complete rundown of items to practice for the week will help you keep your practice sessions balanced.  You’ll push yourself to absorb new music and relax into playing what’s already comfortable.  Part of the time you will be highly concentrated and focused.  At other times you’ll be able to flow easily through music you already know.

I usually recommend saving your favorite item on your practice list to do last.  Before you get to your favorite music, go through a warmup phase and play exercises that will build skills, musical knowledge, and dexterity.  Then, work on new, uncomfortable material.  Finally, move on to the music you like playing the most.  You’ll feel like you’re getting dessert, and your practice session will be like a well-balanced meal that’s both nutritious and tasty.

It’s nearly impossible to put together a practice session like this if you don’t have your practice priorities written down.  In your Musician’s Practice Planner, there is a lot of space to clearly list everything you need to work on.

Make sure you’re playing items from every category whenever you practice.  Stay balanced, keep your practice sessions interesting, and improve all aspects of your playing!

Using repetition when learning to play a musical instrument is extremely important.  By playing something accurately over and over, you train your muscles to go through the actions needed to make music.  And, your brain learns patterns through repeated exposure to the same information.

Unfortunately, your muscles don’t really know right from wrong.  They just do what your brain tells them to do.  If, for whatever reason, you find yourself making the same mistake in the same place whenever you play a section of music, you know that your muscles have gotten the wrong message.

If you continue to allow yourself to make this mistake consistently, you’re building muscle memory for the mistake.  Since the muscles don’t know what your music sounds like, they’re just going to do the wrong action over and over again.

You can’t let this happen!

A consistent mistake will become part of your performance just like any other sequence you’re learning.  I have seen this creep into some of my students’ playing from time to time, and it’s difficult to watch. 

When mistakes happen, they usually fall into one of a few categories:

–shifting to a wrong note (or playing out of tune on a shift)

–going out of time to play something difficult

–stopping (even for just a fraction of a second) and trying again. 

If any of these happen to you twice in a row, you’ve got to take immediate action.  Stop what you’re doing.  Think about where the mistake is happening.  Play only the notes where the error is happening, but play them very, very slowly.  Make sure you can think about each note before you play it.

Catch yourself before anything goes wrong.  Make sure you only accept success! 

Mastering muscle memory is one of the most important skills you can develop if you want to learn to play your instrument quickly.  Just be sure your muscles are memorizing the correct set of actions.

Performing music has its own rewards.  It’s fun to play, especially when you’re performing with musicians you really like.  It feels good to communicate something of value to your audience.  It’s a thrill to be in front of a crowd of people who are there to see you play.  And, it’s wonderful to have the experience of creating music rather than just listening to it.

The process of preparing for public performances can be rewarding also.  Getting ready to perform means setting goals, acquiring new skills, and learning new material.  It takes self-discipline, self-motivation, patience, desire, and focus to succeed.

This list of traits, and the experience of being in front of audiences on a regular basis, gives musicians a big advantage over non-performers when it comes to something that most people fear: public speaking.

On the website webmd.com, Paul L. Witt, PhD, assistant professor of communication studies at Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, is quoted as saying, “The idea of making a presentation in public is the No. 1 fear reported by people in the U.S.”

“Making a presentation in public” doesn’t seem any different than performing music to me.  For musicians, it’s normal to walk on stage, stand under hot lights, have people stare at you, and talk to the audience between songs.  If you can do that, public speaking should be easy.

Performing gives musicians confidence when standing in front of an audience.  They build a certain poise, which is really the ability to be yourself and feel relaxed even when standing in front of a crowd.

Most musicians don’t make their living performing.  So, it’s important that skills learned being a musician can be helpful in other areas of life.  Being able to speak in public is one of these valuable skills.

It goes beyond speaking to an audience.  Public speaking also means being able to think clearly and speak openly during meetings and negotiations.  Though many performers don’t think about it, their time on stage actually prepares them for dealing with the stress many people feel when they’re called upon to speak.

Feeling comfortable with public speaking is one of the many hidden benefits of performing music.  When we play our instruments, we’re doing a lot more for ourselves than just creating music.  We turn ourselves into confident, poised professionals who can excel in every area of life.