Three Reasons You’re Learning Music Wrong

Picture this.

You’re excited about learning a new piece of music.

You begin playing it.

But the mistakes start coming.

And they don’t stop.

You put more time into practicing the piece.

But it doesn’t get better.

Here are three common approaches to music learning that can cause this problem:

1. Mindless Repetition

Playing something over and over seems like an obvious way to learn, but this approach is not enough.

Why? To play well, you need more correct repetitions than incorrect ones.

If you play a single wrong note, you need to play the right note at least twice to have a 67% chance of performing it correctly.

For that same wrong note, you need to play the right note nine times to have a 90% chance of performing it correctly.

How do you avoid mindless repetition? Each time you play a passage, identify one thing you will improve.

2. Do the Fingering that Comes Naturally

Playing an instrument is not a natural activity in the same way as walking and talking.

Finding the fingering that works will often require conscious thought.

I recommend that you intentionally choose fingerings and write them on the sheet music.

3. Play at Tempo as Soon as Possible

If you can play at the desired tempo with accuracy, that’s great.

But often we try a faster tempo than we’re ready to play.

It’s better to take your time and choose a tempo at which you can play the right notes.

Then you can gradually increase the tempo over time.

Keep making music!