Getting past your plateau

[Wes Krygsman]

Hello Tubenet,
Just curious what others have done to break out of their plateau. You know, when you keep practicing, trying to improve, but don't seem to be getting better. I think i might be in one, and it might have been happening for a while.

My high school band director said "Mediocrity breeds decay," and i want to make sure I am not living this out in playing or any other part of life.

Hope the responses can help myself and others.

[Tuboxchef]

Surround yourself with people you admire, people that are musically superior, people that are in the business for the love of music, and you'll never look back. If those people are not available, surround yourself with the best music in the world (preferably live). You'll never run out of ideas this way.

Try out new, challenging, musically gratifying music. Not just tuba music, transcribe the world's best music. The more I learn, and the more I expand my musical horizons, the more I realize how miniscule I am and how much I have left to learn.

[Wes Krygsman]

Thanks Derek, congrats again on your tenure with the NJSO. You sound great sir!

Moderators, can this be moved to the main tubenet? I definitely put this in the wrong place.

Thanks!

[AsiagoCheezBagel]

I always find things to do when I ask myself, "What's something I can't do yet?" or "What are the differences between me and [insert musician you admire]?" Derek is also spot-on with his comment.

Best of luck. I know how you feel!

[MartyNeilan]

Sometimes taking a break can be very beneficial to playing, both from the physical and mental perspective.

(And everything DF said. Congrats on filling Pat Landolfi's big shoes!)

[Roger Lewis]

One thing I noticed in my own development was that plateaus are not really there. You think they are but in reality you are still improving though in ways that you may not notice if you are not paying really close attention.

I recall believing to be in a plateau and then I noticed when working on something new, one of the notes came out so much better than it had in other pieces and I realized that I had improved. I was just not "awake" to the subtle improvement until I switched to some other piece to work on.

If you are practicing with your brain turned on and are paying attention to the very subtle changes that are going on, you will see that you are getting better.

I've found that when you first start out you have a huge improvement then a very short plateau, then another huge improvement and a slightly longer plateau. You get to a point where the plateaus are longer and the improvements so much smaller that you may tend to miss them if you aren't watching yourself closely.

Celebrate the little things as you become aware of them - that gives you the reinforcement to come back the next day and work to get to the next small change.

Just my observations.

Roger

[adam0408]

One thing I noticed in my own development was that plateaus are not really there. You think they are but in reality you are still improving though in ways that you may not notice if you are not paying really close attention.

I recall believing to be in a plateau and then I noticed when working on something new, one of the notes came out so much better than it had in other pieces and I realized that I had improved. I was just not "awake" to the subtle improvement until I switched to some other piece to work on.

If you are practicing with your brain turned on and are paying attention to the very subtle changes that are going on, you will see that you are getting better.

I've found that when you first start out you have a huge improvement then a very short plateau, then another huge improvement and a slightly longer plateau. You get to a point where the plateaus are longer and the improvements so much smaller that you may tend to miss them if you aren't watching yourself closely.

Celebrate the little things as you become aware of them - that gives you the reinforcement to come back the next day and work to get to the next small change.

Just my observations.

Roger

Great points. Can't really say it any better than that.

Try not to worry about your perceived plateaus. Just play music and practice what you need to every day. Constantly chasing the dragon of "getting better" can lead to incredible frustration. What is the point of worrying about getting better? Worrying won't get you a symphony job or admission into your school of choice, just work on and learn what you need to on a day to day basis.

If you are geniuinely concerned that your sound is not improving and feel that there may be an underlying technique issue that needs to be addressed, record yourself periodically so you can more effectively and objectively judge your progress.

Overall, have fun! If you're not having fun, why play music?