What happens when you practice 12 hours a day?

MY PIANO COURSES

MY SOLOING COURSES:

FOLLOW ME:

[jeffsimard]

It wasn't until I turned FIFTY years old did I understand my purpose in music...and to not judge myself against the successes of my peers. I'm finally able to exaggerate the things that make my own style, and enjoy the music my mind and body create.
These things are big lessons to learn.

[weebSanity]

Jeff, thanks so much for sharing this. I played professionally for 15 years, and eventually burned out, and became a programmer. I've struggled to get back into playing over the last 7 years for all the reasons you laid out. It's not my identity anymore, but when I start playing again it causes a conflict in my identity, and I start to attack myself. I'm not nearly as good as I was, and might not ever be, but it doesn't mean I'm a bad person, or that I can't make good music. Focusing on making good music, is such a great way to put it. This absolutely landed with me, and tbh was exactly what I needed to hear, thanks!

[musicafteroldage]

Easy answer: you get your utilities cut off, you get your car reposed and probably lose your house... but you might actually get good at your instrument.

[christianhlie]

I'm not a sax player and never went to a traditional music school, but i felt the exact same way about my old YT channel Lie Likes Music. I worked 12 hours every day making video essays about various bands and artists. It was a great success. Millions of people watched.

But whenever a video didn't get as many views as my earlier ones, my ego would take a hit. It's so easy to confuse self-worth with your achievements when you're obsessed with something or have a dream you want to achieve.

Now, a few years later, i work as a guitar teacher. And i want to be one of the best teachers. But in order to do that i have to truly listen and understand my students. That change in perspective has helped me gain some stability and mental well-being. Also having a life beside teaching and music helped. Things like physical exercise, time with friends and family etc.

Thanks for sharing this Jeff. Definitely connected with you here.

[KC-dinp]

Thank you for your sharing. It reminds me the old days I practised 8-10 hr at the con. That's really waste of time. Mindful practice and mental practice save me a lot of time. Now I only practice 2 hours and the result is far better than those 8 hours.

[MrDavidFitzgerald]

Your point about music becoming part of your identity when you practice that much holds true in academia generally. When I was doing a PhD and was obsessed with my thesis, my whole self worth was tied to whether I could solve a problem or whether I found that someone else had already had my idea etc. This isn't quite the same as "how you sound", but it's a similar idea: if you're obsessed with one thing your mood can fluctuate and your mental health can be quite fragile.

[kamilos]

And imagine now having a 1y old toddler when you have this mindset, as I currently do. I did realize that it is slowly destroying me, when I have this constant urge to find a time to practice even if I'm drain completely of my energy and when there is completely no time for it. It is really making a difference to think differently and focus on making good music (even if right now feels like complete enigma) and I believe it will help me to appreciate more the time that I have with this little beauty. Thank you very much Jeff!

[mrelmoresmusiclab]

This really resonates with me. I started playing late in life. 17 years old and I come a family of incredible musicians. This made it even tougher and I practiced 6-8 hours every singe day for the first 2 years. I did get very good in a short period of time, but my I think my sanity suffered a lot. I think we are all our own worst enemies at a time and we really need to show ourselves compassion and empathy. Great video my man. I just found you and keep doing what you are doing. You are helping a lot of people by sharing this information.

[mrnogot]

Practicing that much makes you a technical specialist in your instrument but not a better musician. There are so many great song writers that are not technical wizards. Practice does have its place but it should serve the greater purpose!

[atomicsquirrel]

One of the greatest teachers on the net. I bought some of your courses and they are just better than years of studying with mediocre teachers!Thank you for sharing your precious knowledge! Keep on going!

[justintran]

I got a daytime job, so with 2-4hrs of practice, I put a little in on technique, a little writing for the band, a little production and editing. Just to feel motivated.

[ZRJZZZZZ]

I think you did a very good job, capturing the essence of the dynamics of being an instrumentalist, regardless of genre.

[randommodnar]

I’m an engineer and I get the same feelings working the regular old 9-5 (though in my case, 7:30-5). I was always the “smart kid”, all through college. I recently started my first job, and I’d bet I’m one of the lowest performing employees - it’s hard to compete with people with years and years of experience, and I lack a lot of the “workplace skills” that seemingly come easily to others. Even if I know I’ll get there one day, it still sucks feeling like the one thing I’m good at isn’t good enough anymore. And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t go through some intense periods of self-loathing.

So thank you for talking about this. I feel seen.

[joesauvage]

This is so deeply appreciated Jeff! Deepest thanks!

[scottmckenna]

This content is an important discussion. I experienced this dilemma as a member of a traveling sales team. I hung in there four and a half years. I won a few perks and I am grateful for the experience.

[MM...]

This is actually amazing advice. One of the best lessons I learned

[qignon]

This applies to every musicians and as a beginner/intermediate drummer, I feel this message a lot, thnak you so much Jeff

[noelbrady]

Thanks for posting this, it's something I and many others need to hear.

[ivry]

Hey Jeff, That was me exactly. I am a piano player, until I was maybe 50 I didn't realize that it wasn't the piano I loved but the music that came from the piano. ie: making good music.I also discovered from studying with great mentors who practiced that 12-hour shift( u are correct). You have to have a passion to successfully do it or that will never happen, you won't get good enough at 6 hrs a day or it will take years. Beating yourself up over just not being good enough because you're just a mediocre doer, lazy, etc. The solution is to find what you love, you will without effort practice for a huge amount of hours, and never look back. I did 6hrs a day for a few years. It did land me in some national projects ( actually a great horn band from the SF Bay Area). but I couldn't care less. I love writing and being in the studio. Find your passion, This is your Dharma, and struggle should never accompany your efforts. This is a promise. Thank you for this brother.

[paulmarshall]

If you need/want to focus specifically on performance goals, one thing that can help is learning how to shift out of first person and into third person perspective. So along the lines of 'Let's see how Jeff is going to handle this' as opposed to 'I have to do better on this than I did yesterday'.

With sports, this also helped me a lot from a visualization standpoint. It gets you away from reaching for outcomes in the emotional realm and more into the currency of physical reality.

I think it's pretty hard for most people to really invest themselves in things and not see what they feel are good returns.