The Hard Lesson
Last week, Smallsteps had her first piano lesson, and was given the task of 7 minutes of practice a week, the same as her age. That is not much, but it is a good start to build the habit of daily practice, as it is a small hurdle to leap each day, and still gives enough time to run through simple exercises a couple of times.
I can't play the piano, any other instrument, or sing, but I have a not bad ear for music in general. Perhaps the ear runs in the family, but I missed the talent to actually play. Or possibly and maybe more likely, the talent was there, but it was never nurtured, never supported, never forced. A couple months of piano lessons was all I received when I was the same age as Smallsteps, but my parents had better things to do than take me to practice, so I was convinced to quit.
Learning to play an instrument at a young age is a fantastic skill to develop, even if it is never applied, because it teaches so many lessons, and I believe, also changes the structure of the brain. The lessons come in the form of what it takes for incremental and consistent improvement, with regular practice and upping of challenge required. It also speaks to the core nature of foundational strength, where repetition, and then more repetition, and then more repetition again, is required.
But, there are also the structural changes in the brain, where I think that networks are created to tie physical pieces together, so that they can work in collaboration, but still independently of each other. Our body does this naturally in many ways, but it is harder to do it with intention, for instance, having the left hand play one set of notes, while the right does something altogether different, yet style maintaining that connection. I have never been good at this, but I haven't intentionally practiced.
However, last night while I was observing Smallsteps' practice, she got me to try what she was doing, which was a very simple exercise that ran five keys up and back, using both hands. This means that the left hand starts on the little finger, the right on the thumb. Very simple.
But not for me.
I was struggling with it until Smallsteps suggested a "trick" she has worked out to get it right, and when she mentioned it, it was so bloody obvious, but I hadn't thought about it in this way, in this context.
She said to concentrate on the left hand (the weak for both of us), because the right hand knows what to do already.
I am an idiot.
No surprises there.
But, my daughter is not. Focusing on the difficult task is the fastest way to improvement, even though it is the one that can take longer to get the satisfaction of success. But, small, quick wins are more compelling, more addictive, even if they slow down overall progress. The people who truly excel at their expertise, are those who spend the time on closing their gaps, not the ones who instead keep improving their strengths. For many, this is counter-intuitive, maybe because our conditioning has told us to focus on the positives.
Essentially though, every skill is a cluster of skills and in order to be good in general, all required skills have to be held at least to a passing grade. No matter how high the others are, ignoring a compulsory none, will mean the others are useless. For instance, a basketball player has to be able to do more than bounce a ball and shoot a free throw well, and the requirements will change depending on position. However, it could be that not being able to shoot a free throw isn't a deal-breaker, if the other aspects are very strong. But, if you can't bounce a ball...
All the compulsories have to reach a passing grade, ¨but the reason focusing on gaps is hardest, but will see the most improvement, is because they are the areas that are easiest to improve percentage-wise. Yet, they are also the ones that are probably not the most fun to do. It feels better to have the right hand play some keys and get that flow, than struggle through with the left hand, where there is faster improvement, but it is still lagging behind the right, and there is likely, no flow.
Smallsteps teaches me many things.
And this is a great one, because in other areas of her life, she does at times struggle to focus on the difficult tasks, preferring to give up instead. but, now I have a tool to use that brings in her own lesson, her own teaching, her own words to inspire her to pay attention to the difficult, because that is where the big rewards are built.
Pay attention to the easy, get the results easy gets.
Low-hanging fruit results are fine, but they are never going to create an expert, so it is worth considering what matters to us. It is too late for me to care about learning the piano, so I am not going to focus my attention on that, but there are things where I should spend my attention closing gaps. Things that matter to me now. And because they matter, it is easy to get those small wins and feel that sense of accomplishment, even though they aren't going to move the needle much, because it is the large wins that do that, and they are much harder to get.
We can do it the easy way, or the hard way.
Which is better?
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
Dear @tarazkp !
Do you think Smallsteps is more talented at piano or ballet?
Piano. She has an ear.
That is good! 😃
Difficult when you do not know the situation according to its origin and easy when faced with courage and we are able to connect with our authenticity. I really admire those children like your 7 year old daughter, who live their learning with the various edges that make up their identity, by the way well done by you, her parents.
I think seeing her in scene Mr. Taraz is a reminder that if Smallsteps likes what she is doing, and is supported and accompanied the way will be the best possible to her.
Happy Sunday.😊
I have noticed that she is more like me in learning than my wife. It is a huge risk, as when I was her age, I feared not being good at something, and it held me back a lot.
And that fear Mr. Taraz turned into bravery, courage and love for what you do with your life and your offspring (daughter), I'm sure Smallsteps is seeing what she wants from the heart, and you know what she will find? She will find her image reflected in her brightness, the one that you can see reflected in the brightness of her eyes.
I don't mind if she looks back and hates me - as long as she has a good life ahead.
Don't worry, Mr. Taraz, she'll be moving forward with her own timeline, and you and her parents are in it for the best. My advice with a lot of honesty and humility it is always better to take care, than to pre-occupy
Nice, Congratulations to her on embarking on this remarkable journey. A step further to learning culture , discipline and cultivating an ability to be calm and I touch with inner self and emotion.
Music is amazing. I hope she learns how to sing, because that is a usable skill everywhere, as it teaches vocal control.
It was good hearing her play tonight on our video chat. Reminded me of my first times playing the piano back when I was five.
She was funny tonight...those walks! 🤪🤣
She was really getting into the emu walk.
That one was the best!
This shows the importance of looking at a problem from different perspectives. What is difficult to tackle for some, might be obvious for others. Since you already started practicing with her, I think it would be great if you can continue to do so. It can be even more bonding time together, and maybe you can play together in the future.
I am happy to be there as she practices, but I also don't want her to compare herself to me. Better than me, isn't good! :)
I have always wanted to play an instrument, but I couldn't in years somehow. I think it would be good for earning a hobby or even developing skills.
What would have been your pick of instrument?
Violin or bagpipes :)
bagpipes! Really?
The piano is one of the most difficult instruments to play, as it requires you to synchronise both hemispheres of the brain, so that each hand plays at a different rhythm. In addition to training the ear to be able to discern which melody each hand plays. These are skills that take time to acquire.
The first years of life are crucial for focusing on the piano. I know four-year-olds who attend their fledgling classes and the first thing they are taught is to synchronise their little fingers.
As a child I wanted to play the piano and only once my fingers touched the keyboard, “the associated crusts were too high for those years”; I ended up with a guitar in my arms.
Little Smallsteps opens up to a magical world. Music is the perfect medium that will centre her with her INNER SELF, as Lang Lang once said when he was asked what it feels like to play the piano.
Blessings to little princess Smallsteps.
It is strange, because when it comes to some things, like PC gaming, I was able to synchronize, but not with the piano. Having said that, I spent many hours through university gaming, and I didn't do the same sitting at a piano. I grew up in a musical family, surrounded by instruments, missing the support to play.
Do you still play the guitar?
Yes, of course… The guitar opened paths for me in education when I was a primary and secondary school teacher. I tried to implement some music in the classes at the University, but the kids who were pure science students at that time were very serious “empty”. Today, the guitar is my faithful companion, but just me and it, heh, heh, heh… Matthew is taking up recorder at school when he can rejoin.
There was a time when learning the piano was a hobby. But gradually that interest in learning has already gone. But when I watch a lot of people play, I look at their hands and I don't think about how their brain works. But if I had practiced I might have learned something.
<But when I watch a lot of people play, I look at their hands and I don't think about how their brain works.
It is an interesting observation. I think most of us are blinded by what we see move, not what is moving it.
The student becomes the teacher. Children have so much to teach if only given the chance. Sometimes parents are dismissive of their children, thinking they cannot possibly know enough to teach anyone anything.
I think it also builds confidence in their own capabilities to be able to bring things of value to the table. They may then be more likely to want to improve and will continue their learning without prompting. Great parenting!
She teaches me a lot. She even patiently wants to talk about things I want to talk about, and asks for more. I of course do the same for her.
I think so. In early high school., we had "agriculture" class for one semester (I am from a near-country town). Some of the kids though hadn't much of an idea about nature at all, and were likely raised eating fish and chips a lot. However, when they tended and grew their own vegetables in a little plot, they were ecstatic to eat things like turnips raw. Who the hell eats a raw turnip? :D
I once again started drawing splinterlands monsters. for some reason it is more difficult than I remember... It seems that breaks from anything isn't good.
Breaks break the flow and the more breaks there are, the harder it is to start each time. Eventually, it is all just "break"
Sweet! We might see some video of a recital in the future? It's great to learn such an instrument at early age. And it comes not only in the developments you mention, but it also gives you a far simpler way to understand musical concepts like intervals, sharps, flats, chords and many other things.
All the best for Smallsteps and her small steps into music. And hopefully that lesson is one of those Eureka moments to understand other things in life.
I have a video of her playing for her first time ever. It was Christmas at her aunt's, and she sat there for 45 minutes, quietly tapping the keys, seeing what sounds sounded good. It was interesting to watch. She has never "banged" on the piano like I expect all kids do.
Well, I guess not all kids get musical education to understand how pianos work and how fragile musical instruments are in general. Most of the kids that do bang on pianos do it because they had watch it on cartoons. I reckon there aren't many examples of this behavior in pop culture at the moment.
The most thing I love here is that you are practicing with her and at the end of it all, you will get to know where your daughter’s strength lies in
That’s just the fact
I’m sure she will be a fast learner so I wish her well
When I was 30, I remember attending a seminar about entrepreneurship. One of the talks was about accomplishments and how we need to stop and celebrate when we accomplish any single win. Otherwise, it is as if we do not even realize we did accomplish something.
It is great she was smart enough to realize how to use the trick and helped her to do the task. Music is something I started trying to learn many times in my life and never had the time or patience to do. At least, I love enjoying it when I do go to a life concert or have the privilege to be in front of someone playing or singing for a small group. It is great for your brain, both the tech side and the emotional one.
That's a really great tip she has learned there. I hope she is able to apply it to other areas of her life. I know that I often put off difficult tasks as times. That's one of the indicators of ADHD. I started playing percussion when I was in sixth grade, but I wish I had started learning an instrument sooner than that.
I liked the idea of knowing stuff, so, I tried to put it on the dream list. One song with guitar, one with piano. I did the guitar thing during covid. One more left.
It's good she is acquiring this valuable musical skill at such a young age. And you get to spend precious father-daughter moments with her as she plays the instrument. Musical skills can be beneficial to us in many ways we can't even imagine. Thanks for sharing.
Your parents didn't encourage you. They made you quit. I hope you wouldn't do same to her. Please, encourage her to practice
I'll keep this. 👆
Very nice post and my wishes for Smallsteps to master the instrument and give you beautiful concerts at home, as a start.
It's cute. Good luck for the next move