The Challenge
Many of you reading this may be coming from very different backgrounds, some are beginner students, some are parents (perhaps with no musical knowledge) of students looking to help their young one succeed, some are experienced players who’ve hit a wall in their growth. Many of the challenges blocking the way to musical growth do not know the boundaries of skill level. Professional musicians and novices, alike, can run into the same issues while trying to polish off a new skill. The difficulty in practicing lies not in what we are practicing, but how we are practicing. In order to understand how we should be practicing, we should be thinking about how we learn in general.
It’s been said many times, you’ve probably heard it from a friend or a relative that plays music, music is like a language. Perhaps you heard that and brushed it off as an oversimplification. Or perhaps you didn’t give it much thought but passively agreed. This is a comparison that has existed for a long time, but until recently, it couldn’t be scientifically proven (if you’re interested in reading more about this connection, see “The Relationship between Language and Music”). Now, with neurophysiological technology, it is much easier to see how similarly our brains process language and music. Intricate neuroscience aside, what does this mean for getting better at playing piano, guitar, or any instrument?
Think about how an infant learns it’s native language. The infant is constantly surrounded by the sounds of the language, parents and loved ones are constantly repeating keywords to the infant and encouraging the infant to try to form similar sounds. If the baby tries a word but doesn’t succeed, is anyone mad or disappointed? Maybe internally, but generally we are still happy that the baby even tried or we just think it’s adorable that they made any sound at all. So as far as the baby is concerned, it’s audience is all smiles - it feels encouragement to keep trying. There are several keys here that we can clearly relate to learning music:
- constant exposure to music
- listening for key musical concepts (critical listening)
- trying to emulate the sounds and key musical concepts, applied in the way that you hear them.
These may seem obvious, but in today’s world of never-ending entertainment and calendars that are filled to the brim with activities, these simple and basic ideas get left behind. How often are we able to say we listen to music as an exclusive activity? Most of the time it’s happening in the background while a main activity is taking place. The first step of being constantly surrounded by the sounds of a language is important, but if that’s the only step, it’s impossible to master the skill. Let’s examine those 3 key parts to an infants development of a language and relate them each to music in a deeper way.
Constant Exposure
Before we talk about the importance of exposure through listening. We should talk about another implication of this idea, as it relates to musical growth. The idea of constant exposure can help us understand how often we should practice. Many have heard stories of master musicians putting in 8 hours of practice every day to perfect their craft, or maybe you’ve heard of the 10,000 hour rule, brought to the forefront of educational psychology in Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers. However, these metrics simply aren’t a one-sized fits all answer. Everybody learns in a unique way based on their experiences and existing memories. However, looking at how infants develop language gives us something that can certainly help.
Consider two different practice approaches by two different students: The 1st student practices only on Saturday and Sunday for an hour and a half each day, the 2nd student practices Monday-Saturday for only thirty minutes each day. Which method is more effective? Who do you think would better retain the material they practiced? If you wagered the 2nd student, you’d be correct. Even though both students put the exact same amount of time in over the course of a week, the 2nd student will have reinforced those memories 5 separate times after the original practice session. While the 1st student will only have reinforced the information once. An infant isn’t exposed to it’s language twice a week, it’s exposed every day. I see the technique of the first student very often in students who are new to practicing music. It’s a habit that can be hard to break, but like any habit, if you can change your practicing for several weeks in a row, you’ll have created a new habit. Once you’re in the habit of picking up your instrument nearly everyday, it becomes much easier to extend the amount of time you spend practicing (as the material you work on gets more difficult).
Critical vs. Passive Listening
We hear a lot of music every day. Most of which is considered passive listening, which means that music is playing in the background while you’re doing something else. This type of listening is very important to our musical development (and is why I believe anyone that has the drive, can become a musician) but unfortunately, it isn’t the only type of listening that is needed to truly master music. Master musicians employ the skill of critical listening. Critical listening is simultaneously listening and breaking down or analyzing what you’re hearing. If you’ve ever seen someone listen to a song, then immediately play the song back, they are utilizing critical listening.
So how should critical listening be a part of your practice routine? Every practice session should have one critical listening exercise involved. If you’re practicing for 30 minutes each day, a critical listening exorcise might only take up 5 minutes. Think of a concept you are practicing, perhaps a specific scale, a type of chord, a rhythm, etc. and try to listen through a whole song (try to find a song that you think would include the concept) while trying to identify moments where that specific concept is utilized. Now for absolute beginners, maybe you want to start with something more simple, try choosing an instrument that you know is in a song, then listen specifically to that instrument throughout the entire song. Try to catch yourself when you get distracted by something (try following the bass part throughout this whole song - you might need headphones). Although it may be difficult at first, this is a skill that can be developed over time. Most professional musicians use this skill every day.
Emulating The Greats
Just like when learning a language, emulating the masters is another key to success. As infants, we are surrounded by “masters” of our language, they are using it freely, creatively, and to express a wide range of ideas and emotions. Isn’t that exactly what we want to be able to do with our musical ability? Again, the question comes up, how do we include this type of emulation in our practice routine? I think this part of practicing is the perfect follow up activity to critical listening. After you’ve listened through a song to try to hear a specific concept you’re practicing, try to learn exactly how the musician employed that technique. If you’re studying the major scale and you listen to “I Want You Back” by the Jackson 5, you might realize the bass line at the chorus starts off by going right down the major scale. Try to play or sing this bass line just like it sounds on the recording! Listen for how long they use the scale and if it varies, how does it change? This is a real example of the concept of scales being used in a very popular song and it doesn’t necessarily matter if you play the same instrument as the part that you’re hearing. Seeing how the greats have used various musical concepts will lead you to honing your grasp of the same concepts. Through regular practice and repetition you will surely master each concept that comes up.
At The End of The Day….
Whether you’re a beginner, expert, parent, or anything in between, the main takeaway here is: to help yourself or your loved one grow as rapidly as possible you need to think about what, when, where, why, and how much you’re practicing. Answering these questions may not always be easy but it might save you 10,000+ hours. We’ve only covered some possibilities to answer some of those questions but it’s certainly a great place to start. Remember, learning music is a lot like learning a language, and the way you learned your first language can help clarify how you should approach learning a musical instrument.
If you would like to read more posts like this or you would like to hear an expansion on any concepts mentioned, please let us know in the comments!