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THIS usually feels like a good analogy of my life (in general) - but I see it can also apply to my fiddle learning, playing & creating music.
Frustration, stress, & worry don't exactly help me focus, but CAN be a powerful incentive for me to change - except, I'm not usually thrilled about it. So, I do enjoy being reminded that things aren't always what they first seem, and splendid gifts can come in horrible packaging.
...Alligator Stew, anyone?
How frustration can make us more creative
PBS Antiques Roadshow Appraisal video: Jean Laurent Clément Violin with Alligator Case - pretty snappy! 😏
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So, the "needing persuasion" that Tim Harford talks about at the end of the video... sheer willpower hasn't worked this past year - guilt, yeah, but "Just do it!" 😳 NEVER works for me.
HATE I've been choosing 'the easy road' because I'm feeling exhausted. Convinced myself it's great I'm playing music I get excited about, but it's things I can easily focus on (melody, rhythm, intonation, bowing)... without really thinking too much.
At the opposite end - there's my guilt trips, mostly because I've gotten impatient with myself not feeling up to working on aspects of music that take more effort & concentration. I'm working to resolve things outside of music, things that drain my energy & resolve, but I've had to figure a way to convince myself that I have no other choice but to dig in... grin and bear it, or choose to see (what I want to work on) in a different light. It's ended up being a little of both.
Normally, if something in music has me frustrated (maybe intimidated, or overwhelmed) I'd break it down into smaller parts to tackle - but 'what' to tackle, when faced with many parts/options, can lead me into the 'choose easy vs hard' trap! So, instead of individual 'parts' - I looked for what the things I've been avoiding lately (like playing variations, backing, improvised parts of songs) have most in common. It's IMPROVISATION, for me. Back to the 'needing persuasion' - I had to keep it very simple for right now, so I chose RESTRICTION. In otherwords, I decided to restrict myself to ONLY playing some aspect of IMPROVISATION on my fiddle - nomatter what pieces I choose to practice.
Improvisation, IMPROVISATION, IMPROVISATION (chanting this as I type). 🤭
I only started to do this 'improvising everything' a couple days ago... today I was better at not falling back into my regular kind of practice. Hope I can keep it up - want to make it feel like the 'natural' thing to do everyday (all the Fiddle Hell Workshops are coming in handy now). Btw, I really am breaking 'improvisation' down into different types in my practice, but found it helps to keep my mind calm by focusing on ONE word - hypnotizing myself!
How are YOU dealing with YOUR fiddling frustrations?
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