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Why should I practice?
Metadata
- title
- Why should I practice?
- description
- It's time to rethink our relationship to practice.
- status
- complete
- date
- 2021-10-25
- kind
- solo
- guestSlugs
- —
- listenUrl
- https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lovemusicmore/episodes/Why-should-I-practice-e18rklm
- appleUrl
- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/why-should-i-practice/id1567355195?i=1000539632057
- spotifyUrl
- https://open.spotify.com/episode/2tRVucbpSGakYz5AdPyrX2
- topicsDiscussed
- Guitar
- Songwriting
- Classical and orchestral music
- Music theory
- Bass
- Drums
- Genre
- Creativity
- hostNote
- Practice feels icky to most musicians the second you bring it up: it's a chore, something you're supposed to do. I want to rebuild that word from scratch, starting with a real question: where do you actually want to go? My goals aren't scales and etudes, they're to be interesting, to be myself, and to be fluent enough to play with other musicians in a compelling way. So instead of running scales against a metronome, I improvise against it, and instead of treating the click as a timer, I try to make it groove like a cowbell or a clave. I also record sessions to go back and analyze what's actually happening in my playing. The through-line: figure out what you actually want, whether that's songwriting or fluency or something else, learn only what serves that goal, surround yourself with great work, and let yourself write a bunch of bad songs on the way there.
- selectedMoments
- label
- Introducing Practice Context
- startSec
- 0
- note
- I introduce the concept of practice and its negative connotations for many musicians.
- label
- Defining Personal Goals
- startSec
- 135
- note
- I discuss my personal goals in music and how they shape his practice approach.
- label
- Improvisation Over Scales
- startSec
- 184
- note
- I emphasize the importance of improvisation instead of rote scale practice.
- label
- Playing with a Metronome
- startSec
- 316
- note
- The idea of treating a metronome as a musical collaborator rather than just a timing tool.
- label
- Creating a State of Play
- startSec
- 677
- note
- Encouragement to make practice enjoyable and fun as a path to improvement.
- label
- Recording to Analyze Progress
- startSec
- 312
- note
- Exploring the benefits of recording practice sessions for self-assessment.
- excerptQuotes
- text
- When you bring up practice to a lot of musicians, it instantly feels icky. It's like, I don't want to do that. It's a chore now.
- startSec
- 89
- reviewed
- true
- text
- Step one for me is to define what you want to do. Where do you want to go?
- startSec
- 45
- reviewed
- true
- text
- My goal is to be interesting. My goal is to be myself. My goal is to be fluent and be able to play with other musicians in a really compelling way.
- startSec
- 140
- reviewed
- true
- text
- Instead of playing scales to a metronome, I'm improvising to a metronome.
- startSec
- 189
- reviewed
- true
- text
- What you're trying to do is trying to make that metronome groove as though it's like a cowbell or a clave.
- startSec
- 320
- reviewed
- true
- text
- If your goal is to write songs, just learn the things that you need to write songs, be around great songs, and then write a bunch of bad songs.
- startSec
- 453
- reviewed
- true
- faq
- question
- Why is practice often viewed negatively by musicians?
- answer
- Practice is often viewed negatively because it can feel like a chore rather than a creative exploration.
- question
- How can I make my practice sessions more enjoyable?
- answer
- Incorporating improvisation and goal-centered activities can help make practice feel more like play and less like a task.
- question
- What should my practice goals be?
- answer
- Your practice goals should reflect what you want to achieve in music, whether it's learning scales, writing songs, or developing your individual style.
- transcriptPublished
- false
- draft
- false
Content
No body content; see metadata above.