Want Faster Progress? Practice Slowly.

In the long run, going slowly is the fastest way to learn.

Thoroughly absorbing complex songs, music theory concepts, songwriting tactics, and instrumental techniques-all of this takes time. True mastery requires that we go slowly, pay careful attention to our mistakes, and really lock the material into memory.

In the short term, though, that’s not always easy. Boredom, frustration, and impatience come wriggling out of the piano to lead us astray. At times, I cave in and try to clear my thoughts by playing games. One of my friends suggested that I try esports (find more info on what are esports) to relieve tension while practicing, but I’m not sure about it yet. She mentioned the positive side effects which include concentrating and earning some side money. These days, it seems like everyone has been hooked on these casino online games. Perhaps, I may also have to search for “mobile casino bonus canada” or something similar and try my hand at it. But as of now, I prefer to focus more on my practice which is always tempting to hurry. When practicing a new chord progression, for example, my first impulse is to speed up. Speed and ease do eventually come with practice, but this urge to hurry always comes long before my technique is sound enough.

If I’m practicing those chords and they still sound sloppy at medium tempo, playing the progression any faster is a terrible idea. Playing fast and sloppy gives a false sense of accomplishment, but meanwhile those shortcomings are burrowing deep into my fingertips, where they’re sure to resurface later on and cause me grief.

So, instead of speeding up, I take a deep breath and slow the chord progression way, way down to half tempo or less. Playing slowly like this is a bit scary because it reveals all the flaws and leaves my shortcomings nowhere to hide–but I go with that discomfort, because noticing mistakes is essential to honing any skill.

It’s always tempting to rush on to the next thing, to say “good enough” and move on. Please beware that false sense of gratification. Stay patient with the process, stay patient with yourself, and move as slowly as you need to in order to make sure that you’re really laying a solid foundation for yourself. If you need to, throw everything out and return to basics for a while. It’s never too late to master the basics.

It’s better to perfect a single page than it is to half-ass five pages. Take a deep breath. Slow down. Focus. Slow down even more.

Yes, this takes some humility–but it also brings the satisfaction of building something solid and real.

Boredom, frustration, and impatience will tempt you. Stay strong and endure them. In the long run, going slowly is the fastest way to learn.

Ready to go deeper into the craft? Check out The Art of Daily Practice, an online course running behind the scenes throughout January 2013.