Learning, Bit by Bit, Step by Step

byLindaBaxter

1.2K followers

4 years ago

I read a blog today that caused me to write this one. I started to answer her, and thought "this should be a blog. I envy Janie her talent and thank her for the inspiration for this blog ."Learning Bit by Bit, Step by Step".

Janie is one of those gifted musicians who "has it all" without even taking lessons. . Me, I had to learn like those students of hers, bit by bit, note by note. Mother making me practice every day, until one day I found myself on the otherside of the mountain, skiing down and enjoying the ride. If you didn't read her blog now is a good time to do so.

I liken learning to play an instrument to driving a stick-shift car. When you first began driving lessons,

1. Everything was methodically performed in your head first.
2. Then came the action.
3. (put on your blinker) done
4. (thought Push in the clutch) done
5. (push on the brake) done,
6. (shift to reverse) done,
7. ( look in the mirrors) done,
8. (check for traffic) done, etc.

Eventually you were driving without even thinking, doing all those things automatically, even while taking care of 2 obnoxious children at the same time.

Playing an instrument is much the same, if it doesn;t come naturally for you. It takes time, perseverance, and patience on the part of the parent/ The teacher. has to be very patient, and invent many things to help the student understand and progress. There is a coordination that has to connect between the mind and the fingers.

Here's where your creativity as a teacher will be be put to the test. Learning the piano, for example, sometimes takes years before the student gets "over the hump" as I've heard it explained. That would be compared to the driver who is driving automatically doing things without having to think everything first.

This could also be compared to building a website. At first we are doing everything Kyle, Jay, Marion, or whoever posted the training suggests. Back and forth from their training to our website, next item, done, etc. Eventually we find ourselves doing everything automatically.

This is the way most people learn everything in life. I have only met a few people in my life that are "gifted" on the piano or organ. I have lived in nearly 20 localities so I have a very broad spectrum of people I've known, and yet only less than a handful of trully gifted musicians.

They can play anything, transpose to another key, throw in a modulation to the new key, whatever, they can do it. It is those gifted souls that have a hard time learning the tried and true methods that piano and other instruments are usually taught.

I guess the takeaway here is the fact that most of us are just plain people. We have a love for something, but we have to be taught.