Practising the Cello – thoughts on keeping engaged and how to get better.
Motivation basically means wanting it and you can’t get anywhere in music without identifying some benefits. Practising, however, isn’t something you necessarily want to do or most likely, not in the moments you have available to do it. So, you need to motivate yourself – even if it’s artificial
Motivation can come in many shapes and forms and doesn’t even have to be of a musical nature. Of course, we all know the power and magic of music is that it moves our emotions, but to learn how to play an instrument doesn’t have to involve that intensity all the time – in fact it’s not even desirable to go about it that way. So, get yourself some motivation from anywhere – as long as it works and it results in you doing some practice! It could be anything from a biscuit, treat or other type of bribe to preparing for a performance or lesson – and anticipating the approval you hope to receive. The more motivations the merrier. Because if you’re not motivated, the you won’t practice – and so nothing will happen. ‘If wishes were horses then beggars would ride!’ As they say!
So use anything, fear of failure might be an inhibitor, but some people can also use it as a motivational tool to spur them on – to overcome.
Others can be more focused on using music making as a form of therapy, just to enjoy the sounds and compositions for themselves or with others.
The most typical type of motivation – and the one I find most effective – is to build towards events – whether it be a gig, a recording, a seasonal event, a performance to your cat (don’t pin your hopes on it’s reaction!), or just a deadline. I have a violinist friend who motivates himself by setting a target to learn 300 Irish tunes by the end of the year. This could also be described as a goal – but in musical practice, I think of goals as being more specific and focused. More on this later
To make real, audible progress is the most obvious motivation, i.e. to make music happen. When you achieve this then it all starts to click; you are on your way, because music is pleasurable and practising as a means to get that reward becomes a self-sustaining process.
However, this can backfire. It’s really common for people to become disappointed in a perceived lack of progress. People can easily become fatigued by the pressure they put on themselves and so many give up prematurely, when they experience the relief of opting out of the self imposed status game of wanting musical. It’s really important not to get stuck in one motivational mode, but to try and develop a whole load of reasons to get enjoyment from your music making and practising, so when you inevitably end up at an occasional dead end, there is somewhere else to go to make sure you keep your hand in. It’s fine to be playful with how you motivate yourself – it’s good to have a few things on the back burner like a piece or style of music that you fancied playing – or some kind of mini project to work towards.
