A Psychologist's Tips for Practicing
For a professional musician, developing the motivation for daily practice is not a necessarily a problem - it's just part of the job. Daily practice certainly requires intense concentration, endless repetition, and an almost obsessive attention to detail. Scales and exercises may have little sustaining musical interest, but they are necessary for the acquisition and maintenance of technique.
But most amateur musicians turn to music as a source of relaxation and enjoyment after a grueling day of work, and the thought of struggling for an hour or two with scales and exercises is far from appealing. With limited time and energy, the amateur usually skips the drills and starts playing through favorite concertos and sonatas. Ironically, only consistent work on exercises will allow him or her to play those favorite sonatas with satisfaction.
Psychologically, when the musician does not put in that hour of practice, they may experience a sense of failure and a feeling of guilt at not doing what they are "supposed" to be doing, or that constantly uncomfortable feeling that one has not done nearly enough. And yet to do a great deal more requires enormous concentration, energy, time, effort, and a dedication to music that is difficult for a non-professional to sustain.
Part of the solution to this problem may lie in changing the definition of what constitutes "enough work." To expect an unreasonably large work-load on a daily basis can be ultimatel
self-defeating. If you know that you are not likely to practice for a full hour a day, then why torture yourself with the feeling that whatever work you do accomplish is not nearly enough?
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