Have you ever thought how useful it might be, if we could be in more than one location at a time? Or could accomplish one thing while doing another? Such desires, of course, have led to terms such as multi-tasking and efficiency. But what if we could learn to play a musical instrument by waving to a friend, for example?

A few years back I remember speaking to a gentleman who was a sales rep for one of the largest publishers of lesson books in the world for many different musical instruments. I was shocked to discover that, out of the total number of "Level One" lesson books sold. Books sales for "Level Two" are a mere 5% of the number of books sold for Level One.

According to these albeit, unverifiable and rough statistics, 95% of people that start on Book 1, don’t even make it to Book 2. With odds like these, progress of any kind, is helpful. Since what would keep most of us from moving into Book 2 if not the frustration that Book 1 must have presented?

Imagine the difference it could make then, in your own progress, if everything you already know could be applied to learning how to play? Imagine that you already have all the skills you need, with infinite opportunity to cash in on them. Right now.

This is not as far fetched as it might sound. Stop and think about it for a minute. In any given day of the week, there are probably about 1,001 different things that we do with our hands and arms that more than qualify us technically to play like virtuosos on any instrument we might desire.

If a person can type for example, why is this physically any different than playing piano? Consider for a brief second how similar scratching can be to ‘finger picking’ on guitar. Or how much like singing is to simple breathing with sound attached.

Can you imagine the benefits of applying a skill you’ve been developing for years like hugging and instantly transferring that skill to playing a musical instrument? How about guitar? Getting good sound from our fingers on the neck, is as much like pulling someone close to you with your arms, as it is using the hand to "squeeze into an orange like with a claw".

Try to remember that you probably don’t lack the skills required to play the way you have always dreamed, as much as, the access to those skills, when it comes to playing your instrument in the way you have always dreamed possible. Stop mentally for a second throughout the day and just take mental notes of how many different activities, that are in many ways perhaps, very much like playing a musical instrument. You don’t have to limit it to an instrument you might actually consider learning.

Stretch out in your mind. Think about playing tuba for example and doing that thing we do with our fingers when we are wagging our fingers goodbye. Transference of your ‘new skills’ happens the instant you can see it’s practical use to you. So until next time stop practicing. Start playing. And enjoy the mental environment that instant results breed.

Article by Martin Barringer

Martin Barringer served as a private piano teacher to students for 13 years. During that period he had a focus of study in achieving excellence in learning. This eventually lead to his certification as Master Practitioner of NLP. The tools and techniques he has learned, to help students make sudden and simple improvements in their playing, are what is offered here. Martin now serves as Creative Director for Mega Braun Music Productions, writing production music for use as background music in TV and Cable shows.

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