J.S. Bach on How to Succeed in Your Daily Practice

Tuesday Quotes are short explorations of music, life, and the daily endeavor of practicing classical guitar. Find more here. Enjoy!

“I was obliged to be industrious. Whoever is equally industrious will succeed equally well.”
J. S. Bach

Amateurs ascribe much to talent. But anyone who has reached a high level at anything knows the time and work involved.

The great 20th-century pianist Arthur Rubenstein once said, “Don’t tell me how talented you are. Tell me how hard you work.”

Even child prodigies have put in the hours, albeit at a young age. No one gains mastery without training and practice. While we may learn at different speeds than others, we all have to show up to the lessons and tasks.

To sustain a musical practice over time, a consistent routine is helpful. If we have to decide what to do each day, we’ll likely stray off the path. We won’t stick with anything long enough to learn it.

Practice is most effective when we can sit down and get to it. Having to decide what to do in the moment is often a hurdle we avoid. But with a general plan we trust, we can focus our attention on the work before us.

And “work” isn’t all drudgery and toil. Part of work is experimentation. It’s creating little games, then trying to win them. It’s learning how to find fascination in the minute details of movement and music.

Many beginners claim to get bored with practice. This is because they don’t yet understand the challenge. They don’t ask the right questions of themselves. They equate practice with entertainment, which it rarely is.

An advanced player can find endless interest and engagement in a simple scale. The way one note connects to the next. The relative volume and tone quality (sound) of each note compared to the next. The position of limbs and the movements of fingers. Each provides subtle challenges with attainable goals.

When we learn how to work, practice comes alive. This is because we breathe life into it. We take responsibility for our energy and attention. Sometimes the work is indeed hard. But the return we get is fulfillment on a deeper level. It’s a slower, more meaningful prize. Worth the work.

Hi, I’m Allen Mathews.

I started as a folk guitarist, then fell in love with classical guitar in my 20’s. Despite a lot of practice and schooling, I still couldn’t get my music to flow well. I struggled with excess tension. My music sounded forced. And my hands and body were often sore. I got frustrated, and couldn’t see the way forward. Then, over the next decade, I studied with two other stellar teachers – one focused on the technical movements, and one on the musical (he was a concert pianist). In time, I came to discover a new set of formulas and movements. These brought new life and vitality to my practice. Now I help guitarists find more comfort and flow in their music, so they play more beautifully.
Click here for a sample formula.

This is the ideal starting position for me. As a relative beginner with no teacher this is helping me enormously in developing good technique and not falling into bad habits. I no longer feel (A) That it's a struggle to learn a new piece and (B) That I am alone in my endeavors. My advice is to try The Woodshed program. It is fantastic and will not only bring up your playing but his explanations of musical concepts as you go along put things into perspective.

~ John Andersson

-John Andersson

I appreciate the organized, well thought out progression of each level, as well as a measurable means to determine when to proceed to the next level. I had burned myself out by pushing too hard and playing beyond where I was comfortable. This course is just what I needed, and I am happy to be back on the road to playing again.

~ Susan Kidney

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