Interlude: Don’t Say Practice
level. You have your whole life to work on this. Don’t be lazy, but don’t
overdo it either.Improvement
As you continue to play, you’ll become better and better and the
amount of time you spend on your instrument will naturally increase.
This will happen for several reasons: you’ll be able to play more
songs, your understanding of what you need to do will increase, your
skill exercises will take longer to go through, and the very best part is
that it will become more and more fun!Don’t Beat Yourself Up
Remember that it usually takes a long time to sound really good, and
the progress is gradual. Anyone who plays an instrument has been a
beginner at one point. And let’s be honest. Beginners make some
really funny noises: squeaks, blats, bellows and bleats. We’ve all done
it. It’s part of the process of becoming better. Have the patience to wait
out your frustrations and the funny sounds you might make. Things
will get better. I promise, but only if you stick with it.Start a New Habit.
We are creatures of habit. Starting new ones is easy enough, and breaking
old ones is sometimes painful. If you can make playing music an old
habit, you’ll never have to worry. It’s a habit you’ll never want to break.
One way to grow this habit is to choose a specific time every day to play.
Have a routine. This will take some time to figure out and will change as
you discover what works for you. Try different times of the day. Some
people like early mornings and sit in a quiet house with a latté and strum
their guitar, some play right after dinner or after school, some like to play
just before going to bed (this option doesn’t’ work well for brass players,
unless they live far from others).
Take at least one day off a week, two at most, to give yourself a rest—
take a hike, read a book, take a swim, a nap, anything. Of course, if you
don’t want to take a break, that’s also a good option. There are no rules.