Music is an art that comes naturally to some, while others have to put in more effort to learn, but even the most gifted musicians need to work on their skills to keep their music in top shape.
The thing with music is that it keeps evolving, and you never actually stop learning. But to reach a pro level, you might want to go the extra mile. Of course, learning takes time, but there are ways to speed up the learning process.
Read on to discover the top 4 hacks that can help you speed up music learning.
Hack # 1: Practice Consciously
When you’re practicing on a loop, it is easy to let your mind go on autopilot and practice mindlessly. You are spending time practicing, but your mind isn’t fully present. You could say your practice becomes a reflex action.
But in doing so, you’re not learning anything new. Your mind must be fully conscious during your learning sessions. When you’re aware, you can identify your weak spots, allowing you to focus on them exclusively.
Hack # 2: Break Down the Piece into Chunks
Every song has some easy parts with equally difficult areas that seem next to impossible to master. While you may think practicing the entire piece in one fell swoop is a good idea, it can needlessly take up a lot of your practice time.
A simple hack that can speed up the learning process is to break down the music piece into smaller chunks. The easy parts or the parts you have already mastered can be kept for occasional practice (not omitted from the learning process entirely). As for the more difficult areas or your weak spots, break them down into smaller chunks and focus on them extensively till you become a pro at them. Overall, you’ll find learning music using this technique to be much faster.
Hack # 3: Practice Mentally
Try to practice your music in your head whenever you get the time. Use your imagination and identify your weak spots. Do it as much as possible. Of course, it doesn’t replace the effectiveness of actual practice, but mental learning is also a great way of polishing your skills.
Hack # 4: Take a Break
Sometimes, no matter what you do, it seems nearly impossible to get that one part right. If you ever find yourself in a similar boat, take a break. Get up, and go somewhere else. A change of scenery will help refresh your mind.
Once your head is a bit clear, start your practice again. Remember, overburdening your mind will only slow down the learning process.
Eric Dalius is The Executive Chairman of MuzicSwipe, a music and content discovery platform designed to maximize artist discovery and optimize fan relationships. Eric is also the host of weekly podcast “FULLSPEED” which is a podcast that features interviews with groundbreaking entrepreneurs from a variety of industries.Eric is also the founder of “Eric Dalius Foundation” where he has created 4 scholarships for US based students. Follow Eric on Twitter,Facebook,LinkedIn,Instagram & also on Entrepreneur.com
