Learning how to play a musical instrument can be one of the most rewarding projects a human being can take on. However, it will not always be easy or free of frustration. Let’s face it though, if it were easy then everyone and their dog would be doing it. It is because of the challenge and difficulty that makes it so rewarding.
It takes a certain kind of person to be able to discipline him or herself to practice. In addition he must seek information. As well as be able to push through difficult tasks. The successful student knows how to seek the guidance. It’s that guidance that will lead to gaining a high level of skill.
There’s one proven method to decrease frustration and drastically increase results. That is to set clear and manageable goals that you can track. If you are new to your instrument, you may not know how to set reasonable goals. For example, one might say “I want to learn how to sight read by the end of the month.” A month may seem like a long time, but learning how to sight read is a huge goal. A goal that could take years depending upon various factors. Having a knowledgeable teacher will help you set reasonable goals.
There are many areas of practicing in which goal setting is beneficial. Let’s say you’re learning a new piece or song. You’re goal can be to master just a small section before moving on. This way, you accomplish a small but noticeable task. Which will be rewarding. It will motivate you to move on. You will want to set new goal. Which could be to learn the next section. A section can be as small as you need. It can be a few notes that are difficult to play. Or a couple bars that do not come easy at first. Or it could be a whole page or more.
Here are more ideas on practice goals. You can make a commitment to practicing one hour a day. That is a measurable length of time. You either practiced your hour or you didn’t, there is not much room for error. For this type of goal setting, it helps if you can set aside a certain time of day to get your practicing in. Many people prefer the morning when they are fresh, and it is just a nice way to start the day. Some prefer at nighttime after they have gotten all their daily responsibilities out of the way.
The main point is to keep it reasonable so that you are more likely to succeed. When setting goals at first, you may bite off more than you can chew. The more you practice goal setting, the better you will get at setting reasonable ones that you can accomplish.