5 Ways To Inspire Yourself To Practice
Practice stinks! Sure, it's worth it, but it's hard work and very few people really enjoy the hard work. It's much more fun to play the songs and skills you've already mastered. Here are a couple ideas to make practice a little smoother...
1 - Plug-And-Play Setup
Put your instrument in a high-traffic area. Keep your music open to your current assignment. Leave the keyboard on. Your comfort-seeking self will look for any reason to avoid work, so remove ANY barrier to playing a single note, no matter how small the barrier
2 - Share Recordings
Or sign up for a recital or open-mic night. Schedule a house party where you tell the invitees that you'll be playing a song. Tell a relative that for their birthday you're going to perform a song for them. Do anything to give yourself a deadline where others will see you. It's amazing how much you can accomplish when ego is on the line!
3 - Change Your Default Lick
Everyone has that one thing they play when they sit down to their instrument. First line of Fur Elise? Canon in D? Piano Man? Heart and Soul? It's that one thing you're going to play when you're trying out new instruments at the music store. And it's what you always play at the begining of your practice time to "warm-up" (it's probably actually to procrastinate). Determine that from now on, that one thing is going to be the first line of your current project. Even if you only know the first couple notes, hearing yourself play that first little chunk will probably prime your brain and fingers to make some progress on the next section.
4 - Break The 4-Minute Barrier
For a lot of musicians, once they're practicing they get motivated to keep practicing...to try it just one more time. But getting into practice can be a bear! Try determining that you're going to practice hard for just 5 minutes. If you don't feel like continuing, you can walk away with a clear conscience.
5 - Take Lessons Or Join A Band
It's great to have accountability to accomplish your goals, but it's also motivating to be around other supportive musicians and really enjoy what you've worked so hard to earn: the ability to play!