March 06, 2023

7 Skills That Mark Your Growth - PHH 094

30 minutes

If you’re into computer games, you know it’s all about getting to the next level.

Even if you’re not into computer games, you probably know what I mean. Many computer games are built in levels and moving to the next higher level requires the player to complete certain tasks or amass a specific number of treasures or experience points. Until you can complete all the tasks, find all the treasure and do it in the time allotted without using up all your game “lives” in the process, you can’t move on. You’re stuck at that level.

Lots of gamers, I might even venture to say most gamers, get a little obsessed in the attempt to move up. They play the game over and over again, looking for the secret sequence or hidden treasure that will give them access to the next level. What I find interesting about this phenomenon is that it is so similar to getting to the next level in harp playing.

I know you didn’t think you had much in common with gamers, but you might want to think again. Both are solitary pursuits which require determination and focus. Success is exhilarating; a lack of progress is frustrating. And there’s always that next level.

One advantage I see for gamers is that eventually you can win the game. There is a final level that when you conquer it, makes you indisputably a master of the game. Music doesn’t have an end point built into it. There is always a next level.

On today’s show I’m going to share with you my ideas on the skills you need to “level up” in your harp playing. Similar to a computer game, each major advancement in your harp study will involve conquering key skills and just like in a game, until you master those skills, you can’t move on successfully. Unlike a computer game, though, you can try to move on, but you will find that progress is discouragingly slow.

But if you know what key skills you need for that next level, you can forget the frustration and move up more quickly.

Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: