How Breaks Improve Focus

Posted on August 30, 2017 by David Motto

David Motto’s Practice Tip of the Week:
How Breaks Improve Focus

Practicing Without Breaks?

There is a myth among musicians that the best progress is made by locking yourself in a room and playing straight for two to four hours.

This is a fantasy.

Let’s take a look at reality.

First, the physical positions we put our bodies in to play most musical instruments are not exactly normal. And, singers can put a lot of strain on their throats and vocal apparatus if their technique is even a little bit off. It can be difficult or even painful to play and sing for hours on end.

Second, most people can’t concentrate for long periods of time. A high level of focus is needed for breakthroughs to happen.

If you want both to keep your focus and to stay healthy, you should take frequent breaks during practicing.

When to Take Breaks

How often should you take a break? Many teachers recommend a break after 30 minutes of playing. The truth is, there is no perfect, one-size-fits-all rule for everyone.

But, it is clear that most musicians would benefit from taking breaks far more frequently than they naturally do. I recommend deciding ahead of time how long you’ll practice before you take a break. Set a timer for that length of time and actually take the break when the timer goes off.

Don’t fall victim to the “I’ll take a break after I finish figuring out this thing I’m working on.” If that’s what you’re thinking, you’ll keep going too long and not take a break when your body needs it.

Another question: How long should a break be? Again, there is no definitive rule. A 5-minute break seems to work successfully for many musicians. Some need 10 minutes, depending on what they do during the break.

Why We Need Breaks

Breaks are important for avoiding repetitive-use injuries, back pain, and many other common afflictions. Breaks also give you an opportunity to clear your mind before moving onto another practice item. (For instance, going from technical exercises to songs.)

Breaks will definitely improve your ability to focus. For instance, if you are worrying about a voicemail or text message while playing, you are probably not at your peak practicing level. Your lack of concentration will make your practicing much less efficient.

What To Do During a Break

Here are some possible activities for your break time:

  • Drink some water so you stay hydrated and maybe even have a small snack.
  • If you’re a singer, gargle with warm salt water.
  • Stretch your muscles and walk. Some musicians even like running in place to get their heart pumping a bit faster.
  • If you have been standing, sit. This will give your feet and back a rest.
  • If you have been sitting, stand. This will let your blood circulate better.
  • If you feel hot, soak your hands in cool water. If you’re cold, soak your hands in warm water.
  • Read that text message. Quickly return a phone call. Take care of any small demand on your time so you will be able to fully concentrate on your music after your break.

When you return to the practice room after a short break, you will be focused, refreshed, and ready to learn more music!

To Your Musical Success!
David Motto

Posted in Achieving Goals, Music Lessons, Music Practice Tips | Leave a comment

Being in the Dark

Posted on August 23, 2017 by David Motto

David Motto’s Practice Tip of the Week:
Being in the Dark

Visual Information Can Be Distracting

Musicians often depend too heavily on visual information to help them play accurately. Whether it’s reading sheet music, getting a cue from another musician, or following a conductor, many instrumentalists and singers are too dependent on what they see.

Some musicians even watch their instruments in order to play. They’ve grown dependent on watching their fingers to hit the right notes.

All of this dependence on sight – and focusing on what you’re looking at – distracts you from the music itself. The real music you’re creating is pure sound. If you can re-connect to the aural properties of music without being distracted by what you see, you can have a deeper relationship with the songs you’re performing.

Try Total Darkness

One of the best ways to focus yourself on the sound you are producing is to practice in a darkened room. This is very different than playing with your eyes closed (where you know you can open them at any time) and I encourage you to turn off the lights!

I’m not recommending low-level lighting or mood lighting. Try total darkness. Make sure you cannot see your hand in front of your face.

Once you’ve grown accustomed to being in the dark, try playing some music you know well. How do you feel? Do you have any sensations you don’t normally have?

Many musicians are afraid to try this practice technique because they worry they won’t be able to play at all, that they’ll miss too many notes, or they’ll become disoriented.

But, don’t worry about those things. Actually, if they happen, it’s perfectly fine–even to be expected. It’s part of the experience of trying something new and may make you re-think how you’re playing certain notes.

Benefits of Playing in the Dark

When you play in the dark, you will learn a lot about yourself. You’ll gain new insight into both your strengths and weaknesses. You’ll be a better judge of your true comfort level with the music you’re playing.

And, there’s another bonus to this practice technique:

Without the visual distractions that can make you start thinking about something other than the music itself, your level of focus will rise to a whole new level.

By the way, this practice technique is a lot of fun for ensembles too. Now, it may not work for an entire orchestra or concert band, but chamber groups, rock bands, jazz combos, and small choirs can all benefit from making music in a darkened room.

You will have the opportunity to really, truly listen to your fellow musicians, and you will learn to trust each other as well.

Experiencing your music in a darkened setting will force you to come to terms with any weaknesses in your playing. And, better yet, it will allow you to hear yourself more completely.

To Your Musical Success!
David Motto

Posted in Music Practice Tips | 3 Comments

Musicians as Athletes

Posted on August 15, 2017 by David Motto

David Motto’s Practice Tip of the Week:
Musicians as Athletes

The Demands We Make on Our Bodies

Physical comfort while playing your instrument is important, and your actions before and after you play also greatly influence your ability to perform.

Too often, musicians feel they can just practice, rehearse, or perform for an hour or two, and then walk away with no regard whatsoever to the demands they place on their bodies.

Sometimes, these demands are too much. You or someone you know may be playing in pain or could even be dealing with an injury from playing music.

There is even an entire medical specialty, “music medicine” that has been created to deal with the stresses put on musicians from playing their instruments. There used to just be “sports medicine.” Well, now we musicians have our very own specialty field because of the damage we inflict on ourselves!

My Own Story

This topic is near and dear to my heart. When I was in college, I suffered a debilitating overuse injury in my left hand. I was unable to play for three years and didn’t know at the time if I would ever play music again.

As you can imagine, this was a traumatic time for me.

But, I was lucky. I healed and was able to return to being a musician full time.

Since then, I’ve been an advocate of playing entirely pain-free, minimizing the use of pressure to create tone, and understanding the physiology and bio-mechanics of playing musical instruments.

Stretching Like an Athlete

You may not regard your playing as an athletic endeavor. After all, your heartbeat generally won’t rise to its target exercise rate, and you may not sweat while you play.

But, your muscles, joints, and spine are all being taxed. Make sure your body is ready for this physical demand before you start playing music.

Like all good athletes, musicians should stretch out before practicing or playing. It’s a great idea to stretch afterward also.

You don’t need to do 30 minutes of yoga or Tai Chi. Even a few minutes of basic stretching will pay off. Stretch your neck, your legs, your arms, and your hands. A little stretching now could save you from injury later.

Many musicians develop tightness or pain in specific areas. Perhaps this is the case for you. If so, focus your stretching on that area and related areas in your body.

For instance, if your hands tighten up while you play, stretch not only your hands, but also your wrists, arms, shoulders, neck, and back.

Beyond Stretching

To improve their performance, musicians can also use other methods favored by athletes. In addition to stretching, it can be useful to apply heat or ice to painful or tight muscles. Massage, Alexander Technique, and Feldenkrais are helpful for some musicians.

If you think of yourself as an athlete, you will take the time to prepare yourself for practicing and performing. Stretching and other activities just might keep you healthy.

Then, you will be able to enjoy playing music for a lifetime.

Great Resource for Musicians

My go-to guy for stretching routines is Bob Anderson, one of the world’s foremost experts on stretching who has worked with many college and professional sports teams.

You can visit Bob Anderson’s Stretching website for information on his books and software.

I use Bob’s stretching book every day and endorse it enthusiastically.

To Your Musical Success!
David Motto

Posted in Music Lessons, Music Practice Tips, Music Rehearsal Tips, Tools for Musicians | 2 Comments

The Best Music Memorization Tip Ever

Posted on August 9, 2017 by David Motto

David Motto’s Practice Tip of the Week:
The #1 Music Memorization Strategy

There Are a Lot of Memorization Techniques

Many musicians contact me asking me for tips on playing and performing from memory. It’s clearly something that worries a lot of people – instrumentalists and vocalists, beginners and professionals, rockers and classical players.

There’s a lot of advice available on memorization techniques. There are books. (A lot of books.) There are websites. (Really a lot of websites.) There are online forums. (Mostly full of advice from musicians who know a whole lot less than you already know.)

You can read through these memorization tips – some of which are absolutely worthwhile and helpful – and still miss the strategy that I consider the all-time, #1, best-of-the-best memorization strategy.

Sure, it’s hidden in the other information, usually as a minor part of another strategy. It needs to be singled out, however, because it is an absolute game changer for musicians.

Here it is:

“The Song” vs. “Performing the Song”

Always memorize The Song before you try to learn how to play The Song. “The Song” and “How to Play the Song” are two completely different things.

Starting the memorization process by learning how to play The Song before you’ve learned The Song itself is a huge waste of time and effort. I think you know what I mean. You’ve probably found yourself struggling more than once with memorization issues while simultaneously dealing with coordination issues and performance issues.

The Song is sound. That sound is organized into sections and usually has a melody, harmony, and rhythms. It’s in a certain key (or keys) and has a specific pulse (which, in sheet music would be a time signature). The Song may or may not have lyrics.

You can memorize absolutely every one of these elements of your song without ever playing it on your instrument or singing the melody.

Using Recordings to Help the Memorization Process

The best method for memorizing The Song is to listen to recordings of it many, many times. But, it’s a specific kind of listening, and it needs to be done in a specific order.

Here’s the order:

First: Listen for Fun
You remember how fun songs were when you weren’t trying to perform them yourself? You need to recapture that amazing feeling. Enjoy the music. Get to know The Song like any fan or audience member would.

Second: Song Sections
Okay, here’s where you start listening like a performing artist who needs to get inside The Song. You’re no longer an audience member just having fun. Time to get to work! Identify the song sections. Notice which sections are the same (or very similar). Notice which are different. Learn how long each section is. Know what order the sections are in. If you’re using sheet music, read along in the music as you listen to the recording and notice where the sections are in the printed music and add your own markings to the sheet music to identify the sections.

Third: Rhythms
Familiarize yourself with any complicated rhythms in the song. Be sure you can clap or sing these rhythms perfectly. No faking allowed! You’re not going to be able to play or sing these rhythms correctly when learning, practicing, and performing The Song if you can’t do the rhythms on their own.

Fourth: Sing Your Part
If you are an instrumentalist and this is a solo piece, you’ll need to sing through what you’ll be playing before you attempt to learn it on your instrument. If you’re an instrumentalist and part of an ensemble or band, make sure you can sing your part before learning how to play it. If you are a singer, make sure you can sing through the melody with the correct rhythms and entrances as you listen to the recording. No matter what your musical responsibility is, you’ve got to hear all the important musical elements of what you’ll eventually be performing. And, you’ve got to hear them perfectly.

All four of these steps are necessary if you want to truly be in control of The Song.

Change Your Relationship to Memorization

This whole process could take a day, a week, or several months depending on how much time you have, how much experience you have, and how
complex the music is. Don’t worry about how long it takes. Just memorize the song!!

Only when you’ve completed the process of memorizing The Song itself (and I mean really memorized it!!) should you start learning how to play it.

Starting the memorization process with The Song itself – instead of just jumping in and trying to instantly perform – will completely change your relationship to memorizing music. You will be able to learn how to play every song much faster, and you’ll be able to memorize playing The Song more efficiently with less anxiety and more confidence.

To Your Musical Success!
David Motto

Posted in Achieving Goals, Memorization, Music, Music Performance Tips, Music Practice Tips, Music Rehearsal Tips, Performance Preparation | 6 Comments

Physical Comfort

Posted on August 2, 2017 by David Motto

David Motto’s Practice Tip of the Week:
Physical Comfort

Making Music Can Feel Unnatural

The physical positions used to play musical instruments, and the stress put on the vocal cords when singing, can be unnatural and occasionally uncomfortable. Because of this, it’s important to:

  • Remain as comfortable as possible while you’re making music
  • Make your playing and singing stress-free so you’re not over-exerting yourself or causing yourself any physical damage

Every instrument has its physical challenges, and many of the motions we make playing instruments are repetitive. These repetitive motions of small muscle groups are like lifting tiny weights over and over again.

This means you need to be comfortable while you’re playing. Otherwise, your muscles won’t have the stamina needed to get through a performance.

Singers face unique challenges too. The angle of your head and neck, where you place your microphone, and the positioning of your torso (which affects breathing) can slowly and insidiously cause damage you’re not aware of until it’s too late.

Three Strategies to Remain Comfortable While Making Music

Here are three simple ideas to try in the practice room, during rehearsals, and on stage:

1. Focus on Your Posture
If you stand while you play or sing, make sure your legs feel loose and your knees are not locked. Balance your weight over both feet and be aware if you are always putting your weight on just your heels or just the balls of your feet. Make adjustments as needed to maximize your stamina and comfort.

If you sit while practicing or performing, use a comfortable chair or stool. Be sure the height of your chair is adjusted to be comfortable for you. You may need to use a pad to help with your posture or to support your back.

All of these steps will help you reach every note with a minimum of tension. With this awareness of your posture you can learn to stop yourself from tensing up just when you need extra effort from your muscles.

2. Bend Your Joints Naturally
FOR INSTRUMENTALISTS: Your shoulders, elbows, wrists, and fingers all need to be used naturally for your playing to be tension-free. If you find yourself unable to play something, check all four of these joint areas for tension. Don’t let any of these joints get locked into a position that will immobilize you.

Your fingers and the gripping muscles in your hands are areas of special concern. If your knuckles collapse while you’re playing, or if you’re gripping too hard with your hand(s), you will slow down your playing. This means it will be impossible to learn any fast notes. Pay special attention to your hands when you’re trying to learn something really fast or difficult.

FOR SINGERS: There are two important ideas about paying attention to your joints to keep your singing stress-free, with full tone and accurate pitch. First, the positioning of your neck and shoulders will directly affect your air flow and your ability to inhale deeply. Any positioning that affects your vocal apparatus and your lungs needs to be watched. Second, even the joints in your body that have nothing to do with singing can affect your sound output. Tension in your hips, knees, or hands can cause you to tighten your shoulders, neck, or jaw. (Yes, somehow or other, the leg bone really is connected to the jaw bone!!) You need control of your whole body to create the vocal tone of your dreams.

3. Pay Attention to Your Breathing
Okay, if you’re a singer or a wind player, you know you need to pay attention to your breathing. You definitely don’t need me to tell you that! Shallow breathing and lack of control for exhaling will wreak havoc on every aspect of your sound.

If you don’t push air to create your music (guitarists, pianists, drummers, string players – I’m talking to you!) your breathing still has a huge effect on your sound and your ability to play well. Many musicians stop breathing or begin taking shallow breaths right when they encounter a difficult musical section.

Cutting off oxygen to your brain and muscles will not make the music easier to play! Make sure you take full breaths and position your torso to make breathing as easy as possible.

Do Whatever It Takes

These three ideas are just a few of the many areas of focus for remaining comfortable when you make music. This is not an exhaustive list. Instead, it’s a realistic list that you can try immediately.

Basically, you need to do whatever it takes to feel good physically as you go through the intricate steps needed to play your instrument accurately and precisely, sing accurately with the tone you desire, and – for you rockers – jump around the stage without doing any physical damage.

And, while I said above that these strategies are “simple,” this does not mean that they are automatic! You will need to be constantly vigilant, reminding yourself over and over to pay attention to how you are using (or abusing!) your body when making music.

Respect what you ask of your muscles and your body. Every time you practice, rehearse, or perform, you are creating habits and building muscle memory. It’s best to form habits that are good for your body over the long haul.

To Your Musical Success!
David Motto

Posted in Music, Music Practice Tips, Performance Preparation | 2 Comments

Adding Emotion to Music

Posted on July 26, 2017 by David Motto

David Motto’s Practice Tip of the Week:
How to Add Emotion to Your Music

Building Emotional Roadmaps

Having an emotional roadmap for any song you’re learning makes performing more satisfying and truly communicates the meaning of the music to an audience.

Audiences are looking for an emotional connection to you. They care more about making that connection than they do about your technical capabilities or your quest for perfection.

Since most practicing musicians don’t know how to easily convey emotions in their music, I want to give you a simple exercise you can start using in the practice room immediately to develop this skill.

The Emotion Exercise

Using only a single scale or arpeggio, play/sing it so that it conveys as many emotions as you can think of. These emotions should run the gamut from the most positive to the most negative.

Here is an example:

Play or sing a one octave major scale many times, each time infusing the scale with a different emotion.

Here are some suggestions for positive emotions:
Happiness
Excitement
Tenderness
Freedom
Love

Next, try the same exercise with negative emotions:
Fear
Grief
Sadness
Boredom
Anger

This one exercise will open you up to a nearly unlimited palette of sound – and this is all with just a major scale!

Emotion Beats Technique

When musicians try this experiment, an amazing process unfolds. Often, people modify their playing techniques to accommodate the emotion. This change happens automatically.

This is much more natural than planning a specific physical technique to bring out a certain emotion. Going for the emotion first seems to unlock musicians’ technical creativity.

For many musicians this process makes them play their instruments or sing songs in the most interesting way they’ve ever experienced–all because they have an emotional goal with their music. Instead of worrying about the notes, you’ll find yourself actually communicating real feelings!

If you could practice, rehearse, and perform like this all the time, you would get so much more out of being a musician. And, if you can successfully do this exercise with a major scale, imagine how gratifying it will be to use this concept with music you truly love and plan to perform.

To Your Musical Success!
David Motto

Posted in Music, Music Practice Tips, Performance Preparation | Leave a comment

Quick Performance Tip – Be Convincing

Posted on July 20, 2017 by David Motto

Convince Your Audience

What matters during your performance is being convincing. It’s best if you feel in control, but – even if you feel a bit out of control and on the edge of your abilities – convince your audience anyway!

Posted in Music Performance Tips | Leave a comment

Get In the Zone

Posted on July 19, 2017 by David Motto

David Motto’s Practice Tip of the Week:
Get in the Zone

The Importance of “The Zone”

The traditional approach to practice (spend more time until you get better) has been blown out of the water by ideas of practicing deliberately, receiving continuous feedback, and maintaining focused concentration.

This state of focused concentration is commonly called “being in The Zone” and is officially known as “Flow” (a term coined by psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi).

In the Zone, experiencing Flow, you lose all sense of time and become completely engaged with the task at hand.

There’s no doubt that The Zone helps musicians. Achieving a state of Flow speeds up the mastery process. It also helps you memorize more easily.

An additional bonus – and this is super important – is that Flow eliminates all the distracting thoughts you may be having when you practice.

You know those thoughts. They’re the non-musical worries that take your mind away from what you’re actually trying to accomplish musically.

Being in the Zone and achieving Flow sounds great and all, but this leads us to a big question:

“How can I get into The Zone in the first place?”

Timers: Tools for Achieving Flow

Today’s practice tip is about timers. Timers are not exciting, so bear with me as I explain how they can be a quick solution for getting in the Zone and achieving Flow.

I know you probably don’t associate timers with helping you make big leaps in your musical abilities or getting you in the Zone.

I also know that timers have gotten a bad reputation with musicians. You may have visions of parents putting a timer on top of a piano and telling their child to keep practicing until the timer goes off. You know, like it’s a punishment.

This technique is a sure way to take the joy out of playing music. However, timers can also be used in positive ways to help your focus and concentration.

Using a Timer to Give Yourself Dedicated Practice Time

One technique is to decide how long you want to practice and to set your timer when you start practicing. Unlike the parent scenario above, you are making your own decision to practice music. It’s not being forced on you, and this is a crucial difference.

Setting a timer for the full length of your practice session does wonders if you are very busy, easily distracted, addicted to checking email/texts, or just have trouble getting motivated. You can promise yourself that you won’t answer the phone, read a text message, or even look at a clock until the timer goes off. Your time, your energy, and your thoughts will be filled only with music!

Freeing your brain from non-music responsibilities puts you in the Zone. You allow yourself to dedicate a block of time to the music that is so important to you without feeling guilty about avoiding anything else in your life. This is an extremely powerful feeling!

Using a Timer to Get in the Zone Instantly

Even better than timing your entire practice session, you can use your timer to help develop the high level of focus needed to have major breakthroughs in your playing.

Here’s how this technique works:

Pick one item to work on. This could be a single scale or exercise, a very specific song section you’re learning, or something difficult you’ve been avoiding. The main thing is to choose just one item.

Then, set your timer for a very short time increment: 1 minute, 2 minutes, 5 minutes max. Your goal is simple: Work on that single item – and only that single item – while the timer is running.

Don’t worry about time. Don’t think about your overall progress. Don’t imagine your eventual performance of the whole song. Just focus all your energies on the task at hand. When the timer goes off, stop what you’re doing and go onto something else.

You can use this technique multiple times during a single practice session. Each time be sure to focus on just one item.

This use of a timer is actually profound. It has a paradoxical effect, allowing you to completely forget about how long something is taking you to practice. It will free you from the usual constraints of time and focus your brain on important details. And, it can get you in the Zone faster than any other technique.

Other Ways to Get in the Zone

These two timer techniques for getting in the Zone are surprising and simple. Give them a try, and please leave me a comment below to tell me how these strategies are working for you.

Do you have other strategies for getting in the Zone and experiencing Flow? If so, let me know. I’d love to hear from you.

To Your Musical Success!
David Motto

Posted in Achieving Goals, Motivation, Music, Music Practice Tips | 2 Comments

Using Your Phone

Posted on July 18, 2017 by David Motto

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 could hold a conversation without being in the same room with the other person.

These tools we carry in our pockets aren’t just smarter versions of phones. They’re more like digital Swiss army knives – with more functions than we can even count.

Using Your “Phone” to Master Skills

I like to think of my smartphone as a digital mastery tool. It helps me learn new skills and teach skills to others. It aids my memory. Sometimes (maybe less than 5% of the time) it allows me to make phone calls, but that’s getting less and less important.

Here’s how I used my smartphone yesterday:

  • Tuner: Used a tuner app to tune a couple guitars and a bass. I use ClearTune, which I recommend. It’s available for Android and for iPhone.
  • Metronome: Used a metronome app for my own practicing, to determine the tempo for a song, and to help musicians I was coaching during their lessons. I use Metronome Beats, which is surprisingly only available for Android.
  • Texts: Sent and received a dozen text messages. I guess that’s kind of like using a “phone.”
  • Reference Recording: While coaching a musician, pulled up YouTube so we could listen to a recording of a song this musician wants to learn. We figured out the tempo, key, and song form so this musician can really start understanding the song when they listen at home, in the car, and wherever else they can hear it.
  • Shooting Video: During another music coaching session, my student shot video of me playing a short section of a song on piano so he can see the exact fingering he should use and hear exactly how that section goes. He’ll now have a video to use at home when he practices. Shooting video during lessons and coaching sessions is one of the most important game changers of having a smartphone with you at all times.
  • Learn a Language: For ten minutes I used a language app to help me learn French. True to the advice I give everyone else, I’m spending 10 minutes a day learning some French skills. I may not become fluent, and I certainly will never be a simultaneous translator at the UN, but I’m making steady, satisfying progress learning a new skill.

Oh, yeah, I also made one (!) phone call yesterday.

How are you using your smartphone to master skills and learn new ones? Let me know!

Posted in Achieving Goals, Music, Music Practice Tips, Tools for Musicians | Leave a comment

Three Types of Deadlines

Posted on July 12, 2017 by David Motto

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 entirely different to say you’re going to learn this music in one week.

Did you find yourself feeling a bit anxious when you read that “one week” deadline just now?

Deadlines have profound effects on us. They change our thoughts. They alter our behavior. And, they focus our practicing like nothing else!

Without a deadline, you can fall victim to Parkinson’s Law:
“Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.”

Translation? It could take you forever to master the music.

So, let’s look at three ways of setting deadlines and how each style of deadline has a different effect on you.

The Three Types of Deadlines

1st Type of Deadline:
Outside Your Control / Accountable to Others

The most effective type of deadline has someone else setting the date and holds you accountable to others. For musicians, this usually means a performance or an audition.

You’ll see your performance or audition date on your calendar, and your thoughts and actions will immediately change. You know you have to be ready by that date. You also know that you’ll be accountable to other people: the musicians you perform with, the audition panel, the audience, and anyone else in your life connected to this upcoming event.

This type of deadline is highly motivational. Some people fear making a fool of themselves in public. Others take pride in showing the world their accomplishments. Either way, playing publicly is an amazing motivation tool.

Don’t have an upcoming performance on the calendar? Schedule one and watch your motivation instantly increase!

2nd Type of Deadline:
Inside Your Control / Accountable to Others

A second highly effective deadline for musicians is playing for someone else. You will generally get to choose this date, which gives you a greater feeling of control than the 1st deadline type above, but you will still have other people to hold you accountable!

Here are a few suggestions for setting up this type of deadline:

  • Have an informal performance for a small group of friends or family.
  • Schedule a specific date on which you and another musician will play for each other and critique each other.
  • If you’re taking lessons, set a date with your teacher when you will do a complete runthrough of the music you’re learning – as if you’re on stage. No starting and stopping – no matter what.

My suggestions for this second type of deadline have one thing in common: You’re making a commitment to other people. This level of commitment will make you want to be ready in time.

3rd Type of Deadline:
Inside Your Control / Accountable to Yourself

One last type of deadline makes you accountable only to yourself and is the hardest deadline to meet. You will have total say on the date you choose, and no one else will be putting any pressure on you to meet your deadline.

Here’s how this deadline strategy works: Select a date when you will hold a mock performance. You won’t actually be on a real stage in front of a real audience, but you’ll prepare as if you’re playing in front of an audience.

You’ll do a full runthrough of whatever song or piece your working on. No starting and stopping allowed! Video this mock performance and watch the video when you’re done.

I recommend that you do this at least once a month.

No Deadlines Can Mean No Progress

Without deadlines, you might or might not learn any new material. After all, there will be no consequences if you don’t, and no rewards if you do.

You can choose which of these types of deadlines sounds most interesting to you and fits you the best. My recommendation is that you try all three over time so you can find what works best for you.

The first two types of deadline offer you varying degrees of extrinsic motivation – that is, outside forces that are affecting your thoughts, actions, and reactions to the task ahead. For many people, extrinsic motivation is the most effective.

The last type of deadline relies exclusively on intrinsic motivation to get any benefit from the activity. You’ll be the only person responsible for making the deadline.

What to Do With This Information

Please do these 3 things to get the most out of using deadlines for your benefit:

1. Create a deadline for sometime in the next 4 days when you will play through something you’re practicing, record the runthrough (audio or video), and listen back to the recording.

2. Schedule another deadline – within the next 2 weeks – when you will play that same music for someone else and listen to their comments.

3. Leave a comment here and let me know how these two deadline strategies worked for you.

To Your Musical Success!
David Motto

Posted in Achieving Goals, Motivation, Music, Music Performance Tips, Music Practice Tips, Performance Preparation | 6 Comments