Looking at the "Bad You"

  We all get stuck in the ruts of not knowing what to work on. We feel that our practice time has gotten as efficient as possible, our technique is shining, and every other aspect is doing great. Without always having to pay a professional to figure out where the problems are...

How we figure out where our mistakes are?

  I gathered this idea from Wendell Rider's Real World Horn Playing. He takes satirical a look at practicing, by comparing what would happen the ideal world and in the real world.

"Ideal          -          Real

Schedule a time period for practice each day. - I'm sure I'll find time somewhere.

Meditate to clear the mind and focus thoughts. Do some rhythmic breathing and yoga to relax - Drink coffee to stay wake.

Have a clear plan of what needs to be practiced. Know what you need to work on and why. - I'd better learn that lick for band..."

  There are many more humorous situations much like this in the book, but besides a good laugh, what are they there for? Well, there's bound to be one on that list that, even though we laugh, we know that we tend to break that rule.

  This is also how we find our mistakes by ourselves. Take a look at yourself and think, "If I were to slack-off in every single way, what would I be doing?" Now, are there any areas of your playing that tend to lie more toward the "bad you" instead of the "good you?" 

  The goal for all of us to get as many aspects as close to the good side as possible. While this is probably impossible -given ideal situations almost never happen, and the number of aspects of your playing that you're aware of are only bound to increase. Just remember that that's our conflict we're bound to deal with as musicians, and we're all having some trouble with it whether we know it or not.