Now, this may not sit well with some of you, but I'm going to say it anyway. If there is a song, progression, or any kind of musical number that is giving you a hard time to play right now, here is something you can do to make it easier:
LEAVE IT ALONE
When I say leave it along, I mean leave it for right now, then come back to it later. Don't ever be ashamed to let go of that particular musical number right now cuz it is too much for you. I have tried this before, and I have found that if you leave it alone for a while, later on you may learn a new technique that will cause something to "click" in your head. Then, you will go back to that music you left and it will suddenly make sense to you. Even if it is years later before it starts to make sense, don't worry about it.
There have been songs that I wanted to play, but my level of understanding was not up to par, so I had to let it go. I would be up for hours going over that one song trying to get it, but it would never come. Then, it hit me, go to someting easier first then come back to that. One particular song I will use for example is "Up Above My Head" by Kirk Franklin. If yall are familiar with this song, it has a jazzy feel to it. I tried to so hard to learn that song, I even got the sheet music and i stil couldn't get it. So, i stopped trying to learn it, and I moved to other stuff. About a couple of years later, I started to understand progressions, and then I heard that song again. When I heard it, it sounded different cuz instantly i started recognizing the progressions used in that song. I was like "Man, that's it, it's that easy?", and I was so happy that I let it go all those years before. Now, i understand it and it's not that hard to play now.
I see so many musicians killing themselves just to learn one song, run, etc., that they fail to grow cuz they are stuck in that one position. It's o.k. to let it go, it's not the end of the world. You are not going to die because you can't play it right now. If it's people that are pressuring you, or if you are pressuring yourself, yall got along great before it, and you will continue to get along w/out it. Learn to tell people and yourself "No, not right now." You may get criticized and you may get left behind temporarily, but you will be staying true to yourself.
Becoming a musican is a slow, life-long process that
WILL TAKE TIME in order to reach your full potential. It won't come in a year, it won't come in 2 years, and for some it won't come in 20 years. It will come when it's
YOUR TIME for it to come. It's time for us to get out of this "I want to play this right now" mode and get into the "One day I will be able to play this" mode. With dedication and practice, you will find that it's much easier to be in the "One day I will be able to play this" mode than the "I want to play this right now mode." It will take a lot of stress off you and encourage you to take your time and get it right. I'll use this scripture from the Bible to emphasize my message:
Ecclesiastes 9:11 "I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neigher yet the bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill;
but time and chance happeneth to them all.When it is your time, it will come. Don't rush it, let it happen naturally and you will get to the place where you want to be. Keep learning, keep practicing, and keep in mind that it will take time, so stop worrying and start enjoying your musical journey. I love all of you LGM family!!!
