I was once again reminded lately of how a positive attitude affects everything.
I was practicing a piece that I really have to stay on top of – if I don’t visit it regularly, the mechanical accuracy it demands tend to escape me.
So there I was , heading into a passage that always caused me some trepidation – two out of three times I might flub a note or just screw up the whole thing.
Then I hit upon something- as I approached the dreaded passage, I visualized playing the whole passage perfectly- smooth, clean, without a hitch, like a total rockstar.
Guess what happened – well, it wasn’t smooth clean perfection exactly but it WAS a whole lot better that it had been on all previous passes.
I went around it again and again with the same visualization as I approached that passage. Each time through was a little bit better, and I would say I got to my goal- a good playing standard that I could repeat- a whole lot quicker than if I had simply continued to approach with doubt and trepidation.
Try it- having difficulty with a certain chord voicing, passage or technique? Well, before you even try to play it again, imagine yourself playing it perfectly, with ease. Run that image through your mind a few times and enjoy. I think you’ll like the result.
Saying “I can do it!!” doesn’t have to mean trying harder; it might just rid you of phrases like “Can I do it?” or worse still, “I’ll never get it”.
Play on…..