
Any way with all that experimentation we've finally gotten good at practice and we have some good news. There are ways to practice that not only work, but seriously cut down on the amount of time it takes to learn a piece. You’re reading this so we’ll assume you want to get good. Really good. Championship winning good. Awesome! This blog is for you. I daresay we know a bit about championships having won a few (even Peter despite all that practicing kerfuffle we mentioned above). But the real truth is that we've lost far more than we've ever won. Behind each lovely blue ribbon is a whole string of lesser ribbons (and sometimes a long string of no ribbons at all). You can’t get to the blue ribbon without climbing the ladder it’s at the top of. You have to start where you are at.
One thing about Championship. We think the whole idea of a single winner is misguided. We've played in enough championships to know that while there is sometimes one player who is clearly better than all the others, more often there is a pool of 5-10 monster players who are all so good it’s impossible to choose. So don’t let a “loss” get you down. You didn't “lose” at all. If anything, you gained experience. The only way you lose musically is if you get injured and can’t play or refuse to seize the day and don’t take an opportunity to perform. The rest is all a win, and big or little, wins add up. Here’s a recipe for winning a championship.
- Prepare.
- Show up.
- Repeatedly.
Championship is NOT about “winning.” Sure it’s nice to get recognition, and if you keep showing up, recognition in some form will eventually show up for you, but don’t try to tell the universe what that recognition has to look like. Just take aim at what you want and get going. Odds are that the stuff that’s in that direction, whether you hit the bull’s eye or not, will be pretty satisfying.
Oh… and don’t worry. There will be plenty of tips to come, so stay tuned. Here’s a spoiler though: Imaginary Practice™ doesn't work.