We’re already into February!  That magical time when reality has set in and all our lofty plans for betterment have been shelved.

Typically.

Because, even though lots of people don’t set New Year’s Resolutions, with all the hype around the start of winter and the new year, it’s easy to think about whether one might find areas worthy of tinkering.

Not you, of course.  You’re just right as you are.  But others, certainly.

One of the reasons people feel that way (not you, of course, but others) is because they cannot perceive any changes in their ability to play.  And that is frustrating.  For them, of course, not for you.

Because these changes typically come about very slowly.  You might call them “micro-changes” (nano-changes?).  The farther you are from your first experience playing, the smaller the changes are in absolute terms.  And this might make those changes difficult to detect.

When you first start playing, every day brings new discoveries!  Closing your fingers is an amazing activity.  Placing ahead is a magical mystery which actually does make getting the music out of the harp a little easier.  What you tried to learn yesterday is actually recognizable today!  All great victories.

But after a while, days of work may not result in a change you can observe.  You don’t remember when you started learning that tune, but you’re sure it was weeks ago (or was it yesterday?).  When did your technique take a nosedive?!?  Why is your repertoire not growing by leaps and bounds?

It’s like watching your nails grow.  You know they are growing.  But you can’t feel it.  And they sure look the same today as they did yesterday.

If you measured that growth and marked it on a chart, you would find that your nails grow about 2 hairsbreadths a day.  And yet, while you can see two hairs (in the brush, in the sink, on your sweater, whatever) you don’t see your nails growing.  But they make slow steady progress…and soon you need to cut them!

The growth is there.  Every day.  You just can’t see it.  But there is a way to get a better view and it has two steps.

Step 1.  Decide what you’re looking for.  Too often we decide we’re going to watch e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g.  We’re going to perfect our technique while learning ten tunes all at once, sight read another 7 arrangements and work on our posture, finesse gesturing, while practicing 2 hours more every day.  And we’ll know – and remember – everything from today when we next sit to practice tomorrow (or the next day) so we know where to pick up again.

I get it, there’s so much work to be done!  But focusing on everything is actually focusing on nothing.  Focus, by definition, is paying attention to a narrow swath.  You are already multitasking by the nature of playing since you need to place both hands, remember the tune, keep ahead of what comes next, stay upright on the bench, breathe, etc. 

If you have a lot of things to work on – write each of them down.  Then prioritize them.  Be smart – prioritize so that the fundamentals (technique) will be ironed out first, since everything else will grow from there.  After you have finished prioritizing, for each item, write down what “done” will look like.  DO NOT WRITE “always in work”!  If your technique is terrible (!), break it down into the components that need attention and decide when you will declare victory so you can move on.  [BTW – “I’m bored” is not victory!  Being able to perform some element accurately might be your victory.]  Decide if your focus needs an action finish or a time end. 

Step 2.  Mark that!  Do what works for you – you could write in your practice journal.  You could make a progression video recording.  You could make a chart with colored stars.  It doesn’t matter how you do it, as long as it works for you – and you do it.

So, the important parts of watching your nails grow? Focus and document.

What are you going to focus on?  How will you capture it?  Share your ideas in the comments! 

PS – yes, I know the nails in the photo are horrifyingly long, but you try to paint harps on shorter nails!  And I was trying to make a point!