Balancing Passion and Persistence
Music has inspired people since the beginning of humanity. It fills us with joy, sorrow, and every emotion in between. It is the reason we choose to learn an instrument. For many, playing music is the primary way we express ourselves. We learn a song that resonates with us and perform it so that others can feel what we felt when we first heard the song. Music connects us all in a way that nothing else can.
However, sometimes we lose interest when learning to play our favorite songs. Learning something new can be challenging, especially when each measure is difficult to play. We might lose sight of the bigger picture when a song has so many new elements. It’s never enjoyable to struggle with something, and nobody is perfect when learning something new. I’ve seen many students lose interest because learning a G major chord is not as exciting as learning a new Taylor Swift song, even though understanding the G major scale and the I, IV, and V chords in that song are equally important.
Sitting down to practice can seem tedious, even though it’s necessary to play an entire song without our fingers hurting. Reminding ourselves why we want to learn to play and why we practice can help us push through these moments of waning interest. Listening to live musicians, revisiting old songs we’ve already learned, or having dance parties to our favorite music are excellent ways to motivate ourselves to keep going.
So, keep practicing and keep learning. You can achieve great things if you stick with it!
