The Secret to Playing Everything Better

Do you wish you played better? Ok, the shorter answer would be, does anyone not wish they played better. Well, I have an easy answer – and with one simple trick, you will play better! There is no magic and this is no joke. I guarantee that if you use this simple secret, you will play better.

(this is where, if this was one of those social media videos that offers a “free” secret for [losing weight, getting a perfect body, making millions every month with an email list, etc.], I’d be telling you all about my life and why I am the only expert and that I have the answer)

(But really, you also have the answer already – I’m just going to remind you what it is)

There’s a secret? And I don’t know it? What could it be?

What is this magnificent secret? What is the easy path to playing everything better? Well, since you asked –

The answer is to do your technical exercises.

Ok, that’s a bit simplistic. You need to do those technical exercises in very specific ways:

• Slowly
• Carefully
• Consistently
• While paying attention
• Expecting nothing less than your best while you do it.

Told you it was easy.

I know, it’s really not easy, is it? Let’s take a very basic technical exercise as an example – scales.  You know how to do scales.  They are easy to learn, to remember, and to complete. But do you do them consistently, slowly, carefully, watching that you’re actually doing what you know you need to do? Or do you fly through them to just get them done? Or skip them all together because, who needs to do them, really?

Want to know who does scales consistently, slowly, carefully, while watching that the form, intonation, timing, rhythm, and tempo are all good? Pros do, that’s who.

Did you think scales were the purview of the newbie?  That at some point, we each advance to a point that we don’t need to do scales ever again? That would be exactly backward.  In fact, the farther you get from being a beginner, the more you know the importance of doing exercises and doing them with an exacting and consistent attention to detail.

You’re right that you know how to do scales – that’s part of the secret. Because they are simple and you know them, you have the available cognitive capacity to simultaneously play the scales, pay attention, notice things that are going well, determine what needs some focused attention, and make corrections before a problem can grow. In fact, with more practice, it is possible to both have a beginner’s mindset (as the gurus call it) AND have the experience to make your own corrections.

And implementing this secret will allow you to play everything with more ease.

Now you know the secret to playing everything better. How will you unlock its power to make your playing better? Let me know in the comments!