Motivation Hacks

How and what to teach and learn.
Post Reply
User avatar
VJOFan
Posts: 285
Joined: Fri Apr 06, 2018 11:39 am

Motivation Hacks

Post by VJOFan »

I was surprised that a search didn't turn up this topic handled in a direct way. It must have been, but I can't find it.

What are your holistic, micro, long term, daily ways to keep the practice habit going?

I'll give one micro strategy to start. On a low energy day think in very small steps. Hopefully, after a few years you have an established routine to a practice session, but there are days when staring down an hour or two of focused work can feel very daunting. On those days it helps me to just push for one thing at a time. I make little bargains to just do a thing and see how it feels after that. Then I can do the next thing, knowing I can always stop. "I'll just move to the place I practice." "I'll just assemble the horn." "I'll just play my first note." "I'll just ..." after 10 to 15 minutes of baby steps I'm flowing along and content to continue.

I just figure for those who are a little earlier on in their journeys, hearing about how "successful" players have kept going for 10, 20, 30 years would be helpful.
User avatar
robcat2075
Posts: 1338
Joined: Mon Sep 03, 2018 2:58 pm

Re: Motivation Hacks

Post by robcat2075 »

In line with what you mentioned...

An artist friend of mine who got a lot more accomplished than his apparent talents would hint said, "The most important thing is to get started."
>>Robert Holmén<<

Hear me as I play my horn

See my Spacepod movie
User avatar
SwissTbone
Posts: 993
Joined: Thu Mar 22, 2018 11:40 pm
Contact:

Re: Motivation Hacks

Post by SwissTbone »

Two techniques I like for productivity, not necessarily practicing but they work for that as well.

1: pomodoro technique. 25 minutes of work followed by 5 minutes of break. Cycle through that 3 or 4 times and take a longer break.

2: 10 minute hack. Feeling lazy? Not motivated? Set a timer to 10 minutes. Start working or practicing. When 10 minutes are over, decide if you are in a good flow or not and if you're now motivated to continue. Works 90% of the time I use it.
ƒƒ---------------------------------------------------ƒƒ
Like trombones? Head over to https://swisstbone.com/ to see some great vintage and custom horns!
MStarke
Posts: 501
Joined: Tue Jan 01, 2019 4:33 pm
Location: Germany
Contact:

Re: Motivation Hacks

Post by MStarke »

Interesting topic.

In my non-musical day job I regularly face different degrees of motivational issues. Sometimes more generalized, sometimes more towards a specific unliked activity. Probably same as most people. Usually I simply do not have much possibility to give space to this as my pace is very very high. The tasks on my desk and all the scheduled dates, deadlines and calls to a degree drive me forward. And generally speaking I find my field of work very interesting and positively challenging. So I like 80-90% of what I am doing.

Practicing trombone (former professional, today kind of semi-professional level) is on a totally different end of the spectrum. Everything I do here is totally voluntarily. So I have to a degree set myself specific goals in terms of preparing for lessons or specific musical projects that are coming up. But in the end I do have a high degree of intrinsic motivation here as well.
Some things that make it easier:
- Doubling: Variation can make things more fun
- Having multiple alternate exercises and stuff that support the same practice purposes. Makes it less boring
- Seeing practising as a sort of relief from a very fast-paced day job
- Really aiming for progress and improvement. Because it gives myself some sort of satisfaction
- Seeking inspiration (listening a lot!)
- On the other hand allowing myself to be entertained during the more boring parts of practising. That means tv, podcasts etc. during longtones ;-)
- Oh yeah: Owning more instruments than I would realistically need :-D
Markus Starke
https://www.mst-studio-mouthpieces.com/

Alto: Conn 35h, Kanstul, Weril
Tenor: 3x Conn 6h, Blessing medium, Elkhart 88H, modern 88HT, Greenhoe Conn 88HT, Kruspe, Heckel, Piering replica
Bass: Conn 112h, Greenhoe, Conn 60h
Chatname
Posts: 219
Joined: Sat Oct 19, 2019 7:16 am

Re: Motivation Hacks

Post by Chatname »

For me, using a warm up/daily exercises program planned by others. Avoiding auto regulated practice the first daily session. Urbie Green, Alessi, Edwards, Remington, , Vernon, Davies, Bousfield and so on. Also trumpet books. Always looking for new good ones (would appreciate suggestions). I cycle through them, 6 weeks approximately and then move on. Makes the first session exciting and I don’t have to make choices. And forces me to practice also the things I might avoid if I choose exercises myself: the difficult things.
User avatar
ArbanRubank
Posts: 424
Joined: Sat Feb 23, 2019 7:50 am
Location: Pittsburgh, PA

Re: Motivation Hacks

Post by ArbanRubank »

For me, it's having a new song to chart, set up an accompaniment for and work though variations on, then saving it to my growing database. So I have homework to do before a play session.
bcschipper
Posts: 203
Joined: Sat Sep 22, 2018 11:52 pm
Location: California
Contact:

Re: Motivation Hacks

Post by bcschipper »

Get some existential problems or kids. You become grateful for every minute you can practice.
Glennlewis
Posts: 12
Joined: Wed Jul 20, 2022 12:52 am

Re: Motivation Hacks

Post by Glennlewis »

My number one “hack” that has helped the most is always have a horn out. I have a wall mounted stand that I keep a horn on almost all the time. And then a fairly new piece of music, and old favorite or two and one of the real books out.
JCBone
Posts: 373
Joined: Wed Jul 29, 2020 1:12 pm

Re: Motivation Hacks

Post by JCBone »

Remember that there is always someone else in the world practicing when you aren't
User avatar
BrianJohnston
Posts: 714
Joined: Sat Jul 11, 2020 7:49 pm
Location: North America
Contact:

Re: Motivation Hacks

Post by BrianJohnston »

The turtle beats the hare in the marathon.
Fort Wayne Philharmonic
CharlieB
Posts: 328
Joined: Thu Mar 29, 2018 7:51 pm
Location: Maryland

Re: Motivation Hacks

Post by CharlieB »

Some days it can be mentally difficult for me to overcome the anticipation of facing a grueling practice session.
My practice routine is set up to combat that.
I have a dedicated trombone space where there is always a trombone on its stand, with favorite, not too difficult, solo play-along music on the music stand and the sound system cued up.
I can usually break the static inertia of my Lazy Side by convincing him to pick up the horn for "just one five minute tune.....the length of a TV commercial break." Once the horn is on my face, the static Inertia usually goes away.
SimmonsTrombone
Posts: 151
Joined: Tue Jul 24, 2018 7:43 am

Re: Motivation Hacks

Post by SimmonsTrombone »

My life hack has been to make up a form, print it on paper, and fill out my plan for the day including practicing. At the end of the day I mark off the items done and add anything else I did. That gives me proof of accomplishment or shame for wallowing in worthlessness.
User avatar
patrickosmith
Posts: 114
Joined: Wed Mar 28, 2018 6:44 am

Re: Motivation Hacks

Post by patrickosmith »

Fantastic topic!

This is an important aspect of becoming a great player and maintaining those skills.

My motivation hack is quite personal. I would come across as a gigantic blowhard if I were to post it to an impersonal website.

Nevertheless I do have something of interest to offer. It made an huge difference (quite unexpected) in my practice regime which led to rapid improvement in my playing.

I encourage you all to take the time to listen to and apply the knowledge given in this series of TED Talks:
https://www.ted.com/playlists/497/pract ... s_perfect/

You will not be disappointed. Let me know what you think.
User avatar
baBposaune
Posts: 202
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2019 4:55 pm
Location: North San Diego County

Re: Motivation Hacks

Post by baBposaune »

A subject that is near and dear to me. These are some of my thoughts on practice and motivation. Some are my own plus other ideas borrowed from better players. Stuff I think about when I'm feeling lazy about practicing.

"Fear is a great motivator." (Joe Alessi)
"There is always someone waiting in the wings who can blow you away." (Mike Suter)
Keep instrument set up, ready to play.
Get all your mouthpiece cleaning, slide lubing, etc. out of the way before playing a note, otherwise you might use that as an excuse to get sidetracked.
Try to practice at the same time of day if you can.
Break up practice into sessions with breaks in between. I like 30 to 45 minute sessions with 5 to 10 minutes rest in between. This is flexible, not a rigidly timed thing.
**A big one for me** It doesn't matter how the first few minutes sound, keep going, keep listening, flow the air, stay relaxed. In time the sound gets where you want it.
Use ideas from the book, "Atomic Habits." I cannot recommend this book enough!
I always have some parts that need woodshedding.
Something I need to get better at: plan your practice, what to practice and when. Make a plan for the next day when you are done based on what you heard today. What aspects of your playing need to improve?
"Practice what you don't like to practice." (Jeff Reynolds)
Don't criticize yourself. Make note of the things you want to be better at and build on each success a little bit at a time.
When I'm playing really well after a good warmup it motivates me to do it again later in the day and tomorrow.
When I'm playing less than my best I may do my warmup again, only softer, or louder, or slower, or faster, until I sound more like the way I want to.
Remove distractions.
If your head isn't in the game then kitchen timer practice can help. The trick is to keep doing what you've set out to do for the entire 10 minutes or whatever time you've chosen.

For me, having a set routine helps keep me motivated.
Last edited by baBposaune on Fri Dec 29, 2023 1:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Mr412
Posts: 115
Joined: Fri May 20, 2022 5:57 am

Re: Motivation Hacks

Post by Mr412 »

Don't need one. I just always want to play, practice, whatever - as long as it involves my trombone. I wish I had more endurance and recovery ability to do more.
User avatar
tbdana
Posts: 190
Joined: Sat Apr 08, 2023 5:47 pm

Re: Motivation Hacks

Post by tbdana »

It seems to me that if we're all adults here, we should carry our own motivation with us, and shouldn't have to engage in tricks to make us practice. We're not kids. We should practice because we love it and we want to, or for the pros because it's our job. But some things I do:
  • I keep a trombone out, on its stand, at all times.
    *I have a dedicated room to practice in. It is also my retreat from the world.
    *I have a Daily Routine that I play no matter what. If I'm not feeling motivated I'll just start that routine and at least play through that before stopping. It takes about 40 minutes.
    *I have a huge drive to be the best that I can be.
I constantly remind myself that getting better is all about flight time. The more hours I spend, the better I can be. Conversely, the fewer hours I spend, the more my improvement is limited. If I practice 1 hour a day, 5 days a week, I will practice 260 hours a year. I can get 260 hours better in that year. But if I practice 2 hours a day, 7 days a week, I will practice 730 hours that year, about three times what I would practice in the first example, which allows me three times the improvement in one year (all things being equal). There is no substitute for flight time.

There is also no substitute for consistency. Make practicing a true habit.

But then, it all depends on your goals. It's different for everyone. For me, I'm coming back from a decades long layoff after a professional career, and I want to be as good as I can still be, play with the best musicians on the best gigs that I can, get the most gigs I can, and make as much money playing as I can. So my motivation is tremendously different from the person who is just playing second trombone once a week in a community band just for fun and the social experience.
Mr412 wrote: Fri Dec 29, 2023 1:07 pm Don't need one. I just always want to play, practice, whatever - as long as it involves my trombone. I wish I had more endurance and recovery ability to do more.
I like this attitude!
timothy42b
Posts: 1467
Joined: Tue Mar 27, 2018 5:51 am
Location: central Virginia

Re: Motivation Hacks

Post by timothy42b »

Chatname wrote: Fri May 13, 2022 12:34 am For me, using a warm up/daily exercises program planned by others. Avoiding auto regulated practice the first daily session. Urbie Green, Alessi, Edwards, Remington, , Vernon, Davies, Bousfield and so on. Also trumpet books. Always looking for new good ones (would appreciate suggestions). I cycle through them, 6 weeks approximately and then move on. Makes the first session exciting and I don’t have to make choices. And forces me to practice also the things I might avoid if I choose exercises myself: the difficult things.
Marshall Gilkes Daily Routine, Michael Davis 20, Reinhardt 10, Warmup #57, Schwartz's Breakfast.
And that insane Mantia warmup of course.
RossM
Posts: 7
Joined: Thu Jan 27, 2022 6:55 am
Location: Canada

Re: Motivation Hacks

Post by RossM »

I’d recommend Daniel Coyle’s “the little book of talent”, there’s some great tips for just about every mental skill surrounding music in there, and some at the beginning that can help with motivation.
In general through motivation comes after discipline, so it’s sometimes best to just start something and refine it as you go.

(Also, what’s this insane Mantia warmup??)
User avatar
ghmerrill
Posts: 494
Joined: Mon Apr 02, 2018 4:41 pm
Location: Central North Carolina

Re: Motivation Hacks

Post by ghmerrill »

tbdana wrote: Sat Dec 30, 2023 12:37 pm It seems to me that if we're all adults here, we should carry our own motivation with us, and shouldn't have to engage in tricks to make us practice. We're not kids. We should practice because we love it and we want to, or for the pros because it's our job.
I was waiting for something like this, but didn't want to say it myself. :roll:

The original posting just seems full of pathos in that each day the OP feels some need to go down an unpleasant path involving unpleasant activities. But he feels that it's something he "ought" to do (I guess). No amount of "holistic," "micro," "long term" or other jargon or "mental skills" will help him do what he pretty clearly just doesn't want to do and doesn't enjoy. So it appears as a plea to "Please tell me how to see what I don't want to do as something I want to do." I sure can't do that, and I doubt that anyone else can.

Maybe it's time to recognize that what you thought you wanted to do isn't what you want to do, doesn't give you satisfaction, enjoyment, and a sense of reward -- and to find something that you do want to do? Do you really want to keep going for "10, 20, 30 years" at this?
Gary Merrill
Wessex EEb tuba
Mack Brass Compensating Euph
Amati Oval Euph
1924 Buescher 3-valve Eb tuba
Schiller American Heritage 7B clone bass trombone
DE LB K/K10/112 Lexan, M&K GR Nickel leadpipe
1947 Olds "Standard" trombone (Bach 12c)
AndrewMeronek
Posts: 972
Joined: Fri Mar 30, 2018 6:09 pm
Location: Detroit area
Contact:

Re: Motivation Hacks

Post by AndrewMeronek »

Glennlewis wrote: Sat Aug 27, 2022 9:16 am My number one “hack” that has helped the most is always have a horn out.
This is definitely a thing for me.
“All musicians are subconsciously mathematicians.”

- Thelonious Monk
User avatar
Ozzlefinch
Posts: 104
Joined: Sat Jan 15, 2022 7:31 am
Location: United States

Re: Motivation Hacks

Post by Ozzlefinch »

What motivates me is when I commit to play something. I am not part of a regular band or group, so I only get to perform a few times a year for special events, normally around Christmas and Easter. When I'm left alone I tend to meander around with the practicing and I have a very hard time focusing on any particular aspect of the music, even thought I love to play and music is the glue that holds me together mentally. I practice every day, just most days I don't really have an objective focus.

Sometimes I can motivate myself by buying a new horn or some piece of kit, that way I feel compelled to get my money's worth out of it and then I spend time with it as a way to justify my spending :)

For example, the forum project this year was a huge motivator for me because I committed to the project, so I had to practice and do my best (however bad that may be) lest I thoroughly humiliate myself on a public platform. I also had to buy some recording gear and learn how to use the Audacity program- that was new territory for me and a great motivator to learn some basic skills that I was lacking. And it was a huge amount of pure fun, I enjoyed every aspect of it and hope to participate again next year.

To each his own. Whatever motivates you is good, as long as you get it done at the end of the day.
Cmillar
Posts: 243
Joined: Tue Apr 24, 2018 5:39 am

Re: Motivation Hacks

Post by Cmillar »

A great motivation for me is the realization that here (in North America) there are 'Taliban-like' politicians and conservative groups that really want to force their beliefs and 'back-in-time' belief system upon everyone.

There really are people around who would like nothing better than to kill all Arts education, defund what's left of cultural funding, and discourage children from realizing their 'God-given (Creator-given)' talents and want to prevent them from experience the joy of being human beings.

And now, with 'AI', there are many dubious characters and corporations who are all competing at trying to assimilate all music and art for strictly commercial purposes.

All the more reason to keep all of us engaged in live music making and passing on what we know to younger people.

A good 'New Year resolution' for all of us would be to 'Just Do It!' ...Keep at it!... or else the 'American-Taliban' will be upon us.

That should more than enough motivation.
Bach5G
Posts: 2270
Joined: Sat Apr 07, 2018 6:10 pm

Re: Motivation Hacks

Post by Bach5G »

A couple of things:

1. I practice first thing in the morning. The coffee is fresh, I have energy, I’m focussed. Get what you have to get done, done. The longer I leave it, the less likely it is I’ll do it.By evening it is almost guaranteed I will not do it.

2. Have your horn on a stand, your books, tuner etc. ready to go. Don’t waste time looking for shit.

3. I find it useful to practice in Pomodoro segments. Lindberg says 24 minutes. Ok. I set a timer on my Alexa. I will take a break between segments. Turn on the news and see what’s going on in the world. If motivation is really hard to find, shorten the segments to 15 minutes. But get the basics done.

4. Each segment has a purpose. Warm up and daily routine take a couple of segments. A segment working on the music I have coming up. After each segment I write down what I did and how long I did it in a note taking app, along with any other observations or ideas.

5. That’s the stuff I have to do. If I do nothing the rest of the day, I’ve got the basic work done. After that, maybe excerpts, or IReal Pro. Or just reading.

6. If you can, maybe once a month print your notes for the previous month and review them. Anything missing?

One of my music profs once told us if you find something boring spend 15 minutes on it. If it is still boring, spend a hour. If it is still boring, spend a couple of hours. Etc. I’m not sure how far to take this. Post-graduate studies? There’s some truth to this. Shut up that voice in your head and bear down.
User avatar
hwlentz
Posts: 23
Joined: Fri Mar 23, 2018 9:39 am
Location: Western Ky

Re: Motivation Hacks

Post by hwlentz »

I recently read this quote somewhere - hoping it doesn’t sound like I’m a smart ass, and I wish I had understood it when I was 18;

“Motivation is temporary. Discipline is permanent.”

I would regard some of the ideas above as ‘discipline hacks.’
RustBeltBass
Posts: 308
Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2018 4:56 pm

Re: Motivation Hacks

Post by RustBeltBass »

Shut your phone off.
Bach5G
Posts: 2270
Joined: Sat Apr 07, 2018 6:10 pm

Re: Motivation Hacks

Post by Bach5G »

RustBeltBass wrote: Tue Jan 02, 2024 10:31 pm Shut your phone off.
Use your phone intelligently. Tuner, metronome, recorder, I Real Pro, time your segments, download parts (IMSLP) etc.
RustBeltBass
Posts: 308
Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2018 4:56 pm

Re: Motivation Hacks

Post by RustBeltBass »

Bach5G wrote: Tue Jan 02, 2024 11:33 pm
RustBeltBass wrote: Tue Jan 02, 2024 10:31 pm Shut your phone off.
Use your phone intelligently. Tuner, metronome, recorder, I Real Pro, time your segments, download parts (IMSLP) etc.
All correct and valid (as long as airplane mode is on) and sometimes that is what I have to do, especially when time is limited. But for me its still not the same as having my phone not in the room with me at all. I prefer the Strobe Peterson tuner, Dr. Beat and like to be away from other technology, it's a shift of mindset for me.
User avatar
Mr412
Posts: 115
Joined: Fri May 20, 2022 5:57 am

Re: Motivation Hacks

Post by Mr412 »

Maybe I'm wrong but I took the point made of turning the phone off as getting one's head out of the all-consuming social media gutter and focusing more on what is real; things that actually do enhance one's quality of life. For me, it's playing my trombone, among a few other real things. And yes, it's not lost on me that THIS is social media. A little goes a long way.
User avatar
tbdana
Posts: 190
Joined: Sat Apr 08, 2023 5:47 pm

Re: Motivation Hacks

Post by tbdana »

Bach5G wrote: Tue Jan 02, 2024 11:33 pm
RustBeltBass wrote: Tue Jan 02, 2024 10:31 pm Shut your phone off.
Use your phone intelligently. Tuner, metronome, recorder, I Real Pro, time your segments, download parts (IMSLP) etc.
Just delete the tuner app. They do more harm than good.
User avatar
ghmerrill
Posts: 494
Joined: Mon Apr 02, 2018 4:41 pm
Location: Central North Carolina

Re: Motivation Hacks

Post by ghmerrill »

tbdana wrote: Wed Jan 03, 2024 4:36 pm Just delete the tuner app. They do more harm than good.
Tuners are great. I don't use an app because it's more of a pain than using the Tascam tuner hanging on my stand. Also, I've been told by some piano tuners that the apps can have problems of accuracy -- but mostly I just don't know what to do with my phone. Put it on the stand? It just gets in the way. The Tascam hangs on/below the shelf.

But doing more harm than good? Well, the tuner works real well in tuning your instrument (and has for decades -- I remember using them in junior high school and high school over 60 years ago). So that's good.

But doing more harm than good? Yeah -- for those people who want to use the tuner to tune their playing rather than to tune their instruments it does do more harm than good. I frequently find myself sitting beside someone (sometimes one on each side) who has his/her tuner on the stand during the entire rehearsal and sometimes has a mic for it clipped to his/her instrument. That's no way to learn how to play in tune -- and definitely no way to learn to play in tune with an ensemble. When someone observes "Hey, you don't have a tuner," or asks "How come you don't have a tuner?" I just say "Because I don't need one, and I listen." For me, playing in tune (and often with others rather than by an arbitrary standard) is all part of the challenge and fun.

Alas, too often "playing in tune" has come to mean "playing in tune with the tuner". But I have trouble thinking of the tuner as an instrument or a player. :roll:
Gary Merrill
Wessex EEb tuba
Mack Brass Compensating Euph
Amati Oval Euph
1924 Buescher 3-valve Eb tuba
Schiller American Heritage 7B clone bass trombone
DE LB K/K10/112 Lexan, M&K GR Nickel leadpipe
1947 Olds "Standard" trombone (Bach 12c)
chouston3
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue Dec 19, 2023 9:18 pm

Re: Motivation Hacks

Post by chouston3 »

I enjoy getting better and I enjoy making music with other people. The better I am at playing my instrument, the more I can enjoy making music. I want to have fun.

It is not fun for me sitting behind a music stand counting rests and fidgeting while waiting to come in on some part I can barely play. When I was in high school, I thought that was having fun. That kind of stress is not enjoyable for me anymore. So, I work hard to get better at my instrument so those times occur much less often.

I like musical interaction. I want to be able to listen around the ensemble and hear what is going on. If you are in a good ensemble, you can interact with the other players because they react to how you play your part and you should react to how they play their parts. If you are struggling to play your instrument, that level of musicianship just does not happen. Those interactions are what keeps me coming back to my instrument. The trombone by itself eventually can get kind of boring, but the musical interactions with others are endlessly fun and fascinating. The better you are, the more you can participate in these kinds of interactions.
User avatar
VJOFan
Posts: 285
Joined: Fri Apr 06, 2018 11:39 am

Re: Motivation Hacks

Post by VJOFan »

ghmerrill wrote: Sun Dec 31, 2023 5:42 pm The original posting just seems full of pathos in that each day the OP feels some need to go down an unpleasant path involving unpleasant activities. But he feels that it's something he "ought" to do (I guess). No amount of "holistic," "micro," "long term" or other jargon or "mental skills" will help him do what he pretty clearly just doesn't want to do and doesn't enjoy. So it appears as a plea to "Please tell me how to see what I don't want to do as something I want to do." I sure can't do that, and I doubt that anyone else can.
This is too hilarious not to address. It shows how making a complete psychological assessment of a stranger from scant evidence can lead to erroneous pronouncements. And I think the evidence was largely misread anyway.

On one hand, the original advice was clearly labeled as a single strategy for a single kind of situation. There will be a day when the juices aren’t immediately flowing to do any certain thing. The strategy of baby steps is sound for those days and to get started with anything. Once the wheels are rolling, the energy and joy returns.

On the other hand the final statement was pretty clearly saying that others might have many other strategies for many other situations. Those that have a longer history of playing probably have more incite into how to keep at it for a long time. There is no advice there, or plea made to ask for help, to grind out 30 years of hell.

The OP is just a thread starter. Some people might have ideas for establishing practice habits or keeping them going. And others might have ideas in how to make sure practice gets done in times of stress or time crunch or whatever life throws up in the way.

It seems as if many did.
mgladdish
Posts: 22
Joined: Sun Oct 10, 2021 4:08 am
Location: London, UK
Contact:

Re: Motivation Hacks

Post by mgladdish »

I enjoy the newsletter from https://bulletproofmusician.com/

The aspects of how to pracice, how to get the best out of performance, and a myriad of other issues, are not solely unique to musicians. And there's a ton of evidence and research out there on how to be effective at all of them. I do despair at the amount of old wives tales spread amongst musos about what works and what doesn't, without anything other than personal anecdote backing up whether it works or not.

E.g. there are a bunch of entries on exactly this topic: https://bulletproofmusician.com/blog/?u ... gory~focus

Just like I think "learning how to learn" isn't addressed anything like enough in schools, I think "learning how to practice" isn't addressed enough by music colleges or tutors. There's always room to learn more, and being open to the question is always the first step.
norbie2018
Posts: 892
Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2018 6:10 am

Re: Motivation Hacks

Post by norbie2018 »

hwlentz wrote: Tue Jan 02, 2024 5:48 pm I recently read this quote somewhere - hoping it doesn’t sound like I’m a smart ass, and I wish I had understood it when I was 18;

“Motivation is temporary. Discipline is permanent.”

I would regard some of the ideas above as ‘discipline hacks.’
Yes, I agree - discipline. Just like a yoga master. Just like a meditation master. Just like a champion chess player, or Michelin star winning chef, or expert rifleman - discipline.

I use an interval timer which I set to 10 min playing 5 min rest during which I listen to recordings of myself or others; I have specific routines or music to address during those 10 min segments. Sometimes they roll over to 20 min, sometimes the entire 40 within a given hour, depending on what's going on. 10 min on, 5 min off , for an hour. Come back to it later in the day when the hour's up.
User avatar
ghmerrill
Posts: 494
Joined: Mon Apr 02, 2018 4:41 pm
Location: Central North Carolina

Re: Motivation Hacks

Post by ghmerrill »

conan.jpeg


"But always there remained the discipline of [brass]."
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Gary Merrill
Wessex EEb tuba
Mack Brass Compensating Euph
Amati Oval Euph
1924 Buescher 3-valve Eb tuba
Schiller American Heritage 7B clone bass trombone
DE LB K/K10/112 Lexan, M&K GR Nickel leadpipe
1947 Olds "Standard" trombone (Bach 12c)
Post Reply

Return to “Teaching & Learning”