Recently I became convinced I'm not really moving forward with the guitar - the graph on left refers to how new technology gets adopted, but it serves my purpose quite well. Yes, I made great progress for a while (making me think I would be playing ~Asturias in a few short years), but now I think I'm in the "trough of disillusionment", where it seems quite likely this is as good as it's going to get. Yes I am learning new pieces, and maybe they are getting a mite more difficult, but to my ears they don't really sound any better than those I learned last year. I know this isn't for want of being told what to do (I am fortunate in having an amazing guitar teacher), but perhaps I've been selectively ignoring the advice that I need to become a better player. So I asked my guitar teacher - what was preventing me from moving forward?...What do I need to do? It's not like I don't practice...
His response was something to the effect that I wasn't going to like the answer! I think I have probably added my own interpretation, but this is what I took away from that conversation...
- Significant improvement involves a lot of hard work, not just reaching a stage where I could play a piece through without too many mistakes, and then moving on. I would probably have to work on something for many months to "finish" a piece.
- I needed to learn pieces I didn't particularly like so as to teach me specific skills rather than - or in addition to - pieces I just liked the sound of.
- I was trying to do too many things to make significant progress in any one area.
- Did I mention it was going to be hard work?
Phew! Well I did ask...
As a result I'm trying to pay attention to what I'm being told rather than doing just enough to 'kinda' get it. I'm spending less time just "playing through" piece and more time working on small parts and individual skills. This might involve working on one measure slowly for days or weeks, perhaps to master a a tricky fingering, stop the bass, add dynamics or separate out the melody. It may even be starting to change the way I practice... It's going to take me a few more helpful hints from my guitar teacher before I truly start thinking about this differently, but I like to imagine I might soon embark upon the "slope of enlightenment"
Did you know? A bunch of flamingoes is a "flamboyance"
