How To Prevent a Frustrating Practice

I know you’ve probably heard of people beginning to learn an instrument when they are young and then quitting early on in the game. As I’ve researched the many different reasons why people stop playing, I’ve found that the most common reason is because of the dreaded word ‘practice’. Today let’s discuss how to prevent a frustrating practice.

First, I want to share a question I was just asked yesterday from one of you online flute-learners. This is actually a pretty good one because it happens to everyone, and actually isn’t just tied to playing the flute. This is something that happens in many different areas of life.

It’s almost like writers block.

This student wrote, “Over the years I’ve noticed that sometimes when faced with a problem for which I cannot find a solution, if I walk away for a while, the answer will come to me – often in the middle of the night. Have you heard other students mention this?”

And, my answer to this is, Yes, Yes, Yes. Of course I’ve heard of this, thought about this, I’ve experienced this, and talked to other students about this. For sure.

I believe that this is one of the main reasons that practicing can become frustrating and difficult.

Our brain is kind of funny this way. It’s almost like writers block. I’ve been calling it ‘practice fatigue’. .. which makes sense because it usually happens when we’ve been practicing so long we are tired. In actuality, I think that we get frustrated with what we are doing to the point where we can’t seem to do it right anymore. Has this ever happened to you?

When this happens it’s important to give your practicing a break. End your practice quickly by playing something easy and fun (so you end positively) and then take a break.

I looked up some suggestions for writer’s block and they include things like taking a walk, eliminate distractions, do something to get your blood flowing, and change your environment. Next time you pick up your flute you will be rejuvenated and ready to tackle that tricky part in your music, trust me.  

An important take-away from this short article is that we need to cut ourselves some slack and remember that it’s not only okay to take a break, but it’s necessary to foster good health as well.

There is always lots more information I want to give you, but this should give you a good start. Take a minute to leave a comment and share with us what you do to give your brain a break.