Deliberate Practice, Revisited

Vladimir Horowitz was approached by a piano student who gushed, ” I would give my life to play as well as you”.  To which Horowitz replied, “I did”.

It’s about taking the time to practice with the express intention of getting better. It isn’t just banging on the piano keys for an hour while the timer runs out, it isn’t about practicing during commercials on TV, it isn’t about playing as fast as you can through all your material so you can say you practiced. It’s about actually paying attention, going slowly, correcting errors at the time of the error, concentrating on each movement, paying attention to your posture, remembering to breathe, and relaxing while you play. Playing piano should be fun, not the drudgery your mother thought up for you when you were 10 years old and precocious. You should enjoy yourself, feel lighter afterwards, and energized. Otherwise, quit now and stop torturing yourself.

Piano is not the only victim of inattention. We do most things by rote, and therefore, our brain retains little, if any, of what we learn.  We can be so much better than we are, just by demanding more of ourselves.

Pay attention to becoming a better employee, spouse, parent, friend. Deliberate practice works on relationships, as well as piano, tennis, hiking, and beating your neighbor at ping pong. Deliberate practice is an attitude requiring focus, concentration, and commitment. If you want to get better, practice with intent. If you don’t care, then don’t expect great results. I play pool, and I am terrible at it. But I don’t care. I play for the comic relief of everyone else. I also work at being flexible and strong, and I am good at that. I pay attention there, because it matters. I don’t pay attention to pool, because, well, who cares?

Pick your battles in life. The ones that are important, treat with respect. That’s how you get good. If it matters.