Have You Hit The Wall?

by Randy Perkins  DMI Operations Manager

Have you hit the wall with practicing?  By that I mean are you practicing but not improving as you expect?  Has your instrument turned cold and unresponsive? Do you feel lost? Are you looking for that next piece of inspiration or noticeable progress in your skills?  Most if not all musicians find themselves at this place at some point or another. It’s a frustrating place to be. It’s the musical equivalent to writer’s block.  It’s like walking in thick mud or fighting with your best friend. It’s no fun.

Here are a few suggestions that may help you knock a hole in that wall and emerge inspired.

Call up some friends and have a jam.  If you are a musician, chances are good you know other musicians.  Teach each other a song or play a set of easy favorites. Pick a chord progression and improvise.   Fill a room with controlled sound and whatever the outcome, make it a priority to have some fun!

Sing harmonies along with your favorite songs.  Try to sing harmonies with any song you are listening to. Don’t worry if it sounds bad. It’s going to sound bad because often finding harmonies is a process of elimination.  It’s an excellent exercise that may be best saved for when you are in your car, singing to the radio, alone.

Pick up a different instrument and play it for a few days, or a few years.  Use it to tickle the muse inside of you. A harmonica can be a great choice for this exercise but any instrument will do.  Get rhythmic with some shakers and drums. Try an instrument that is very different from what you are playing now.

Immerse yourself in silence.  Listen to it and drink it in. Allow silence to dilute and dissolve anything you are hearing in your mind.  Try to come out of your silence with a sense of emptiness and quiet. Then experience the joy of filling that emptiness with music.

Don’t expect to be inspired if you are practicing the same thing every day.  If your practice routine has become routine, chances are good you are not improving.  You are just going through the motions. For a change, try playing a few charts backwards sometime.

Step back and rest musically for a day or two.  No more than that. There is nothing wrong with a pause.

Close your eyes or play blindfolded.  For conditioning your sense of hearing and feel, this exercise is unmatched.  Playing blind will help your instrument feel as though it has become a part of your body.  

Remove from your vocabulary the phrase “I can’t.”