When Being Zen Fails - How to Combat Frustration While Practicing a Musical Instrument

[@hellodomo8003]

This video is golden! You're like an emotional support therapist and a music teacher all-in-one. I truly believe that getting frustrated when learning an instrument is inevitable. Patience, self-forgiveness, and persistence are key for us humans. I'm having a bad practice day today, but I was able to plow my way through by telling myself "The longer I hold this banjo, the better I will become whether I realize it at the present moment or not". After a half hour, I was having a ton of fun and didn't care how crappy I sounded. The lactic acid point is amazing and could be why I'm having an off day...hooray for yard work, lol. I read an article a few months back on the "1% Improvement Rule". Basically, strive to improve by just 1% each day and after a year you'll be 37 times better. These improvements seem marginal at the time, but they sure do build a strong foundation. It's all about accumulation. I will revisit this video the next time I'm having an off day - this is definitely an inspirational one. Thanks so much for putting this together, you are appreciated!

[@2000HoursofBanjo]

Thank you for your thoughtful comment!

[@coro4ever]

I have a couple of things I do as well! 1. You mention taking a short break, but I always think that if one song is just not working, I just practice something else that day and come back to it the next day. A lot of the time I find that it is easier the next day. You don't have to get better at something in just one practice, especially as a beginner. 2. Working through something extremely slow! If a few measures are difficult, I won't only play those measures slowly until I can play them up to speed, I'll play everything slowly. And I mean really really slow. There is something about really taking your time to think things through that makes all your playing better, not just what you were working on. 3. If you're frustrated because you don't know what to focus on, or you don't seem to be improving, then I will focus on something outside of just the music. Sometimes I practice standing up. Sometimes I focus on just memorization. Sometimes I focus on singing along to lyrics while playing. Sometimes I see how fast I can push a song before I mess it up too badly. Sometimes I practice with my eyes closed. Practice doesn't have to just be about improving your playing. 4. If you find yourself easily frustrated, do not record yourself playing on your phone. You will find imperfections even if you thought you did something perfectly.

[@2000HoursofBanjo]

Awesome! Thanks for your tips!