I've been doing this for about a month now, and I can attest to its effectiveness. My practice finally has structure (as opposed to playing bits and pieces of whatever I felt like playing).
The one thing I'm finding frustrating though is when I have a little "winning streak" (several days in a row where the 1's outnumber the 0's) and then suddenly have a crap day where my fingers just don't seem to work at all (6 zeros in one day is very demotivating!). How do you overcome these bumps in the road Paul? - Katherine
Hi, Katherine! First of all: congratulations for using the score keeping tool; I'm very happy to hear that you're having success with it! Well done!
Next: yes, those bumps inevitably appear in the road. Here are a handful of ways to overcome them.
First, and perhaps most important, is to remember that your are not a machine and you are not always going to be at the top of your game. Stay human and be compassionate to yourself!
This is also related to the idea of being your own teacher. Whether we're conscious of it or not, when we're practicing alone, we assume the role of being our own teacher - in addition to being the role of "student of music". You've been teacher - how would you help a student facing these same road bumps? I have no doubt you'd be your usual human and compassionate self to them. Give yourself more time to reflect and prepare between the times you play.
Use the "Play X times" game. Here, your goal is repetitions regardless of whether or not they're "correct". This is an excellent way of getting back in the game without the same pressure. And there is always value to doing purposeful repetitions.
The one I use that I find most helpful is perhaps the least helpful to others. That is to see yourself in a narrative, a story where you are the heroine doing what you need to get past the difficulties you're facing. You get a chance to use your ingenuity to solve the problem you're having. You can bring back the "be your own teacher" idea. Know that "the audience" is on your side. We want you to keep going, whether you win this game or not. We want you to keep going.
That being said, grinding out a "win" may not be the best thing for you in that moment. Resign yourself to not "winning this game". Come back to the same game at another time or day, starting from the beginning. Often our mental representations can solidify during the time away.
Start a new game where you slow down the tempo and gradually bring it back to the tempo you were originally aiming for. Or, you set up a series of short games where you slow down and bring back the tempo step by step.
Design shorter games so the outcome is decided sooner. I've found that this can help me be less invested in the result and focus more on each attempt.
Take a break. I find using the Pomodoro technique to be very helpful.
The bottom line is that you want to enjoy your practice. You want to look forward to it and design positive experiences for yourself. Between practice sessions, continue to reflect on your experience, iterate, and refine your approach. Then test your new version next time.
Your comment and question shows that you're moving in the right direction. Try one or more of these tools and let me know how it goes for you. And keep doing what you're doing!
That's an excellent insight, Kato! And, if I understand you correctly, the action of practice is synonymous with engagement with the materials of the music. Let me know if I've misread what you've said.
I've been doing this for about a month now, and I can attest to its effectiveness. My practice finally has structure (as opposed to playing bits and pieces of whatever I felt like playing).
The one thing I'm finding frustrating though is when I have a little "winning streak" (several days in a row where the 1's outnumber the 0's) and then suddenly have a crap day where my fingers just don't seem to work at all (6 zeros in one day is very demotivating!). How do you overcome these bumps in the road Paul? - Katherine
Hi, Katherine! First of all: congratulations for using the score keeping tool; I'm very happy to hear that you're having success with it! Well done!
Next: yes, those bumps inevitably appear in the road. Here are a handful of ways to overcome them.
First, and perhaps most important, is to remember that your are not a machine and you are not always going to be at the top of your game. Stay human and be compassionate to yourself!
This is also related to the idea of being your own teacher. Whether we're conscious of it or not, when we're practicing alone, we assume the role of being our own teacher - in addition to being the role of "student of music". You've been teacher - how would you help a student facing these same road bumps? I have no doubt you'd be your usual human and compassionate self to them. Give yourself more time to reflect and prepare between the times you play.
Use the "Play X times" game. Here, your goal is repetitions regardless of whether or not they're "correct". This is an excellent way of getting back in the game without the same pressure. And there is always value to doing purposeful repetitions.
The one I use that I find most helpful is perhaps the least helpful to others. That is to see yourself in a narrative, a story where you are the heroine doing what you need to get past the difficulties you're facing. You get a chance to use your ingenuity to solve the problem you're having. You can bring back the "be your own teacher" idea. Know that "the audience" is on your side. We want you to keep going, whether you win this game or not. We want you to keep going.
That being said, grinding out a "win" may not be the best thing for you in that moment. Resign yourself to not "winning this game". Come back to the same game at another time or day, starting from the beginning. Often our mental representations can solidify during the time away.
Start a new game where you slow down the tempo and gradually bring it back to the tempo you were originally aiming for. Or, you set up a series of short games where you slow down and bring back the tempo step by step.
Design shorter games so the outcome is decided sooner. I've found that this can help me be less invested in the result and focus more on each attempt.
Take a break. I find using the Pomodoro technique to be very helpful.
The bottom line is that you want to enjoy your practice. You want to look forward to it and design positive experiences for yourself. Between practice sessions, continue to reflect on your experience, iterate, and refine your approach. Then test your new version next time.
Your comment and question shows that you're moving in the right direction. Try one or more of these tools and let me know how it goes for you. And keep doing what you're doing!
Your post makes me realized that the action of practice drives transformation.
That's an excellent insight, Kato! And, if I understand you correctly, the action of practice is synonymous with engagement with the materials of the music. Let me know if I've misread what you've said.