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Consistency Music is not learned in a day. Practicing many hours one day does not make up for missed practice on other days. Most learning is done while you sleep. There have been many studies that have found that a night of sleep can trigger significant performance improvements to a motor skill. The More Difficult the Skill the More Important Sleep Is One particular study tested participants on finger-tapping exercises. They found groups that did simple patterns with one hand …

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I can give public speeches, perform in groups, and give many other kinds of public performances, but a solo piano performance has always been something I’ve struggled with. When I started out in music I was a little nervous about letting people know that I was afraid to perform.  I wanted to keep it to myself. It’s embarrassing. No one else has to deal with this. Or so I thought. Through the years I’ve learned that just about everyone has …

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I have an embarrassing confession to make. My hands sweat. They sweat a lot. They sweat more when I’m performing, but it can even make practice difficult. The more I think about it the more they sweat. I’m a pianist, and trying to stay on the keys and play accurately is next to impossible when I have hands that are literally dripping in sweat. It’s been years since I had to worry about this though because I’ve found some techniques …

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Anyone who has spent any time practicing an instrument is familiar with the feeling of not getting anything done. This doesn’t have to apply only to music practice. You can be working on a task, but never actually get anywhere. Real progress comes from daily focused attention and deliberate practice. If we are to get better at doing something, in this case music, we can’t just say “I touched my instrument today, so I did my part.” You won’t learn …

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