VII
The keys to a successful practice are regularity and repetition. Many of the necessities of becoming a musician can be practised away from the instrument: relaxation, attention, an alert sensitivity, and intentional activity. The practice of becoming a musician is almost the same practice as becoming a human being. Regular and constant repetition of the essentials becomes essentially who we are: we move towards an integrity. This sounds fine, clever words easily used, but how long will this take? Well, if it took forever, what else am I doing with my life? And with good fortune, some resolve, appropriate instruction, and the application of intelligence, after fourteen years I may have something which has become my own. And after twenty-one years, this may have become established in me.
When we are beginning to establish our practice, we learn by observation how we do things. The principle of practising function is this: each part does the work of that part, and no other. To discover our habits the rule is: change the tempo of our operation. Whether faster or slower, we will be easily revealed. It is helpful to establish benchmarks in execution; for example, competence at different speeds. Then, we may monitor our development. Choosing one small part of our playing, we execute this small part superbly. This may be mastering a particular exercise, refusing to accept an inadequacy in our technique, developing co-ordination, or dividing attention. But whatever we choose, however small, we execute superbly. This brings quality to our playing, even if only a very small piece of quality. Then, with quality present, all the rules change.
Anyone who practises regularly can talk to anyone else who practises regularly: both approach craft, and craft is a universal language. Both are concerned with an economy of effort, with persistence, with contradiction, and in serving an aim. When our practice becomes a way of life, where we’re going is how we get there: we have nowhere to go. So, we might as well be here. Our presence is a measure of our practise.
