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Old 01-13-2018, 12:48 PM
buddyhu buddyhu is offline
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Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Massachusetts
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Song Writer View Post
Yeah, you can appreciate what you've accomplished for like 2 minutes. Go ahead, make it 2 minutes a day if you like. And then it should be back to work. Hard work.

I equate "worrying about how much better you want to be" with the concept of "drive." And that concept has brought me from being a three chord strummer to being a classical player....who now wants to be a better classical player.

I loathe "resting on one's laurels" because it doesn't get any work done. For some, this is the difference between YMMV, your mileage may vary and YMMRV, your mileage may really vary.

There are many drives that can foster development, and even expertise; one doesn't need to be miserly in one's recognition and appreciation of progress (and perhaps even experience gratitude for the fruits of one's hard work) in order to experience noteworthy (or even phenomenal) development of one's skills and knowledge. Indeed, appreciation can help one play with greater confidence, which usually enhances execution/performance.

I understand that your approach works for you, and probably many others. I'm just saying that is not the only path to excellence.

Also, I think we have to respect that each person has a different space in their life for making music. To map out the extremes: if you have a complex life with multiple other pursuits and responsibilities (say a professional career, a family situation that is temporarily or permanently difficult, a vast network of friends, and at least one other hobby that is equal in value to your interest in guitars and music) the space you have for mastering guitar will have a different shape and size than a person who has a simple life that is strongly oriented towards developing as a musician, finding work as a musician, and spending time in a network of friends who are primarily musicians.
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