Why Your Roommate Should Hate You

Learning something new is hard work.

There is something in us as humans that makes us resistant to hard work. We always want the easy road. We want things to just happen for us. Maybe it’s from years of having to work so hard for food and shelter, that now we feel we have earned the right to relax a little. And for sure there is a time to relax.

But if you want to be good at music, you are going to have to put in some practice time. There is no shortcut. There is no app that will do it for you. There is no pill that will magically give you all the skills you need. Good old-fashioned hard work is still the only way to become a successful musician.

But the good news is it is totally worth it! There is a lot of joy you get to experience along the way.

How To Practice Music Effectively

Time

The first important thing to consider when practicing is time. How much time do you want to spend practicing? How much time do you have?

We all have busy lives and time management is a ligament issue we need to face. In order to get good at any musical instrument, including singing, you are going to have to put in some practice. Regular, consistent practice. But it doesn’t have to be every day and it doesn’t need to be four hours at a time.

If you practice ten minutes a day, three times a week, you would still be miles ahead of most people who don’t practice at all. Don’t feel like you have to put an exact amount of time into your practice to make it worth it. You don’t have to practice four hours a day. You don’t have to practice one hour a day. You just need to practice in small increments that make sense with your life.

Start with ten minutes a day, three times a week, and see how that goes. You can always add in more time as you can. Remember, these small increments add up to big results. Consistency is more important than committing to huge chunks of time when it comes to practicing music.

Repetition

The second thing to consider is repetition. Repetition is the good stuff. It is the magic sauce that turns our brains into high-functioning, music learning machines!

In order to play something well, you are going to have to play it over and over and over again. You may have to break it down to one measure at a time, repeating small passages numerous times in a row. It takes time for our brains to connect all the dots and create muscle memory.

Muscle memory is what happens when instinct kicks in and we don’t have to think about what we are playing anymore. It’s a beautiful thing and it will happen to you if you use repetition to get you there.

By repeating something over and over, we are programming our brains to learn patterns. Once our brain knows the patterns, it will be able to play something quickly without us even having to think about it.

Think of your brain as a computer and repetition as software code. You are using repetition to enter the code that allows your brain to compute what you are playing. Once the code is entered, the computer (your brain) will run on auto-pilot!

Sleep

The final thing to consider when it comes to practicing music is sleep. It is really important to get a good night’s sleep after practicing.

While we sleep, our brains go to work connecting all the neurons and making new pathways. It is like we are still practicing in our sleep. Our brains finish the job for us while we are dreaming of puppy dogs and Disney World, or whatever it is you dream about.

This is why when you go back to play something the next day after practicing it, you suddenly can play it just a little bit better than the day before. Your brain finished the job for you while you were sound asleep!

How Do You Know If You Are Practicing Enough?

You’ll know that you are practicing enough when your roommate, or your spouse, hates you.

This is kind of a joke, but not really.

When you are practicing, you should be playing certain things so many times in a row that it should start to drive your roommate nuts. Remember, repetition is your friend, but it can be your roommate’s worst nightmare!

If you find yourself in this predicament for real, don’t worry. There are things you can do. Practice when your roommate is gone. Or use headphones if you are practicing on a keyboard.

The point is to not be afraid to use repetition as your ally in helping you achieve your musical goals. Go for it! Play that scale 100 times in a row. Make the dogs bark. Make your roommate scream. That’s how you know it’s working!

And believe me, they will forgive you when you are performing in front of thousands of people and they are asking you for a free backstage pass!

How Much Practice Is Too Much?

There are many answers to this question, but the only what that matters is this:

It’s up to you.

It doesn’t matter how much you practice. All that matters is that you are getting better and reaching your own personal goals. Someone who wants to be a professional classical pianist may practice eight hours a day. But if that’s not your goal, don’t practice that much.

You don’t have to be anyone but you. It doesn’t matter what anyone else is doing or what anyone else tells you, it only matters what helps you.

You want to practice enough so that you are getting better. But not so much that you start to hate music.

Music is meant to bring us joy so you have to find a balance. Some people love practicing all day long. If that’s you, then go for it!

Some people hate practicing. Actually, I would say that is most people. If that’s you, it’s totally ok. Just find a routine that you can stick to.

There is a time for discipline and doing the hard work when we don’t want to. But there is also a time to sit back and enjoy the music. Be sure to include both in your musical life.

And if all else fails, just remember why you started learning music in the first place. As long as you keep that at the top of your mind, you will love practicing until your roommate loses theirs!