I probably should have titled this blog “Impatience.” That’s a me problem and I know it’s a problem for a lot of musicians as we do the hard work of trying to get better at what we do. Especially as you grow your skill on your instrument, you’re working on more challenging issues, and that can take a lot of time and practice to overcome the hurdles you’ encounter along the way.
I’m admittedly particularly impatient. I’ve been playing and preforming for about six decades and feel like I should be advancing in my pursuit of playing listenable jazz faster than I am. You’ve heard the adage that the more you learn the more you realize how much you don’t know. That is, learning opens you to new quests, new things you realize that exit and that you want to master. That takes time—and patience.
Studies or surveys tell us that more than half the adults in America have at one time or another played an instrument, at least for a period of time. My supposition is that many quit when they realized how hard it was to get better, to play well enough to be in a band or just entertain themselves. Of course, many, maybe most, people quit playing when life gets in the way: jobs, family, other interests that require less time and commitment.
The fact that they tried says something wonderful about music. One one hand it confirms that there is a special kind of joy and satisfaction that playing music brings you that you cannot achieve any other way. But it also confirms how important music is to all of us, that we all have the music in us.