Category Archives: Achieving Goals

Using Your Phone

Your Smartphone as Mastery Tool Why Do We Call These Things “Phones” Anyway? It’s funny that we continue to call smartphones “smartphones.” The original idea of a phone was a tool to make voice calls to someone else so you … Continue reading

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Three Types of Deadlines

David Motto’s Practice Tip of the Week:Three Types of Deadlines Deadlines Change Your Thoughts and Actions It’s one thing to say – in the abstract – that you’re going to learn a new piece of music or a song. It’s … Continue reading

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How to Overcome Any Musical Challenge

David Motto’s Practice Tip of the Week:How to Overcome Any Musical Challenge It’s Not About Working Harder and Harder Many musicians hunker down and work harder and harder – and get more and more frustrated – whenever they face a … Continue reading

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Half Year Goals 2017

Goals for the Second Half of the Year Today is July 1. Half of the year is gone. How did the first half of the year go for you? Hopefully, at the beginning of the year, you set annual goals, … Continue reading

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How to Use Short Bursts of Time

David Motto’s Practice Tip of the Week:How to Use Short Bursts of Time Our Busy Lives Many musicians feel that they won’t accomplish their goals without spending extraordinary amounts of uninterrupted practice time. But, let’s look at reality for most … Continue reading

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Two Scientific Reasons Why You Should Rethink Your Use of Practice Time

Two Scientific Reasons Why You Should Rethink Your Use of Practice Time How Do You Think About Practice Time? Like most other musicians, I spent most of my life thinking that how much practicing I did directly impacted how much … Continue reading

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Ten Minutes a Day Really Works

Though many musicians, performing artists, and other creatives like the idea of being obsessed with their goals and spending hours at a time on their creations, the truth is that few people have a lot of time each day to … Continue reading

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Metronomes Define Priorities

David Motto’s Practice Tip of the WeekHow Metronomes Define Your Priorities The Importance of Mastering the Basics Mastering the basics is what makes great musicians sound so great. Knowing that you have control of intonation, tone, rhythm, and time lets … Continue reading

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Practice TODAY

David Motto’s Practice Tip of the WeekPractice TODAY Reasons Musicians Don’t Practice Every Day Today’s practice tip is a variation of last week’s “Practice Every Day.” But, it’s a very important variation. Here’s why: Even though musicians know they’ll benefit … Continue reading

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Quick Rehearsal Tip – Don’t Be Too Specific

Don’t get too specific with your musical decisions. It’s better to say, “We’ll vamp until cue” instead of “Play this 6 times.” No one will remember to play that section 6 times at your performance, and being so specific will … Continue reading

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