Never aim low
Image by 3D Animation Production Company from Pixabay
Since 2014, I have been practicing a musical instrument for 15 minutes every single day. It is a habit that I love more and more, the more I do it. I have found that the little-by-little approach starts to resemble exponential growth a couple of years. The last couple of years I have tweaked things up to eleven, by setting “impossible” goals for myself, like learning to sing opera in just twelve months from scratch for example. The key lesson here is that the impossible goals will constantly reward you with maximum growth if you only have the patience to sacrifice the present for the future. And the principle is likely valid for just about any domain in life.
As far as music playing goes, my approach is extreme, very extreme. I am currently practicing one special song by the Swedish band Meshuggah called Bleed, and I have been working on this song now every day for almost three years. That is probably some kind of borderline mental illness with regards to how stubborn I am. However, I thoroughly enjoy the process and I make sure to record some drumming videos every now and then to document my progress. But to practice one single song for so long is probably almost unheard of. My hypothesis is that if I learn to play one of the most difficult songs ever written for the drums, just about any other song (within the genre) will feel easy in comparison the day I finally nail it. And then I will do a quantum leap in my drumming and become a very skilled drummer in just a couple of years and less than two hours per week of invested time. Sounds like a pretty good deal to me, all aspects considered.
The flip side, which indeed is quite a big drawback, is that I can’t really do any concerts or play with any band until I learn the song which seems to take at least three years, maybe even four or five. But I am confident that it will snap into place sooner or later. I also remember from previous projects that when you are grinding in the final phase, it can feel like you are banging your head on the wall for months on end and then suddenly everything falls into place at once. I.e., it resembles more a step on a staircase and not a slope with gradual increase. I also have a visualization in my mind the day when I finally nail the song and can start learning other songs and starting to drum “for real”. I also cherish the naysayers and haters every day. I am grateful for their criticism, especially those who have told me that “I will never become a drummer”. They give me fuel.
The “normal” approach would be to select easy songs according to your skill level and advance from there. If you want to go out and do some gigs, this is probably a wiser choice. But I do believe my approach is faster if you can accept the apparent drawbacks of the “impossible” method. When playing the songs that are impossible, your practice will constantly reveal to you and remind you of what is your weakest link. For example, I have been doing kick drum exercise for about ten weeks straight now with the sole purpose of building strength, endurance, and speed. Now I can (almost) hammer the kick with 1/16ths @190 bpm continuously. And it has become crystal clear that my skill with the hands is nowhere near where my feet are now. It is far behind. Consequently, I have now decided to practice hand technique with double strokes and paradiddles for about two months. Then, after around 20 weeks of technical exercises, it might be appropriate to go back to practicing the actual song.
Since becoming a self-employed consultant in 2019, I have noticed several analogies with my musical experience in the civil engineering sector. My work indeed feels “impossible” from time to time. But if I only come out somewhat safe on the other end, I know that I will have made a quantum leap as an acoustician too. That’s why I am 100% certain that it was the right move for me to quit my job. It feels as if I have grown 5-10 years in just three years. And similarly, growth of that magnitude can be literally crazy and painful at times. But with proper visualization of the target, you can do it. And a lot more too.
Never aim low.