What CAN'T Be Done...

In life, there are things which people proclaim "can't be done!" But then in a matter of days, weeks, months, or sometimes years, SOMEONE finds a way to "do the unthinkable."

A prime example can be found in the world of sports. The 2008 Olympics just passed and it seemed that in almost every event (including even the qualifying matches) a new Olympic or World Record was being set. This astounds me, but yet it doesn't. In order for an athlete to leave their signature on history, they must achieve the "unachievable."

Another example rests in the technology we use each day. Just when we think that computers and data processors can't get any faster or more complex, they do. There is always a new "improvement" or "upgrade" just around the corner. What you buy today will be "outdated" in a matter of weeks or months.

So, where am I going with this? How does this apply to music?

I recently have adopted this mindset of asking myself "what can I NOT do?" or "what SCARES me when I see printed on a page?"

We all have this experience in our musical lives--some more often than others. We are handed or assigned an etude, excerpt, or solo that, when we peruse, gives us an initial moment of sheer panic and terror. We think, "Wow. Ya' win some, and ya' lose some. Today's not my day."

But what separates the athlete who merely qualifies from the one who set the new world record? What separates the musician who has conquered the instrument and displays jaw-dropping technique from the one who does not have vast control over their instrument? What stops me from doing what I think I cannot do?

My answer: fear of the unknown and a lack of inspiration to persevere even though the task may require painstaking experimentation and patience in order for a solution to be discovered. Some reading this may say, "well duh!" A life lesson to learn indeed.

Often in my own playing (as I've discovered recently) with a little patience and a lot of perseverance, solutions to technical problems often present themselves. And the feeling after they are solved is one of this: "why didn't I just persevere and accomplish this sooner? It wasn't THAT bad." And then tackling the "scarier" challenges seems fun and exciting!

This post may have seemed "elementary" to some, but in life it seems that we truly learn as we remember and re-learn previous discoveries. The more we experience something, the more it is ingrained into our being. This is something I've learned AGAIN. (Maybe now I won't forget this lesson so soon!)