Musicians spend endless hours practicing, but what are we practicing for? In the constant drive to be better, faster, more musical, more in tune, more accurate, more correct, is perfection or progress what we should be striving for?
Of course I believe in rigorous technique practice. I do the usual scales, arpeggios, and all manner of finger twisters, usually accompanied by a drone for intonation practice, and in as many articulation patterns as I can think up. I do long tones, overtones, whistle tones, ppp tones to fff tones and everything in between. And yes, I work to make these things as ‘perfect’ as possible. I do these things to build and maintain a solid foundation, upon which I am constantly trying to improve. In my experience, most musicians do the same for the same reasons.
So what is ‘perfection?‘ And what happens when we achieve it? Is that it, we’re done? Sometimes the word ‘perfect’ is the perfect word (yes, pun intended) to describe a moment when everything comes together, when it seems that this particular moment or action is as wonderful as it can possibly be, and can’t be improved upon. It is a magical thing because you knot that next time, even if you perform every action in what seems to be exactly the same way, ‘perfection’ might not happen.
So what’s better than perfection? Progress! Perfection is finite and limiting, an impossibly narrow target. Progress is infinite. We can always be better in some way. Today the fingers may be sluggish but the tone more resonant; ears stopped up by a cold but fingers quick and coordinated. We can advance a couple of clicks on the metronome, extend a diminuendo, smooth a phrase, discover a hidden reference.
The opportunities for improvement are truly infinite. We have the ability to grow and improve in many directions. Progress in one area opens the door for progress in another. It enhances the achievements we have earned through our diligent practice. And every little bit of progress we make increases the probability that we may achieve more moments of perfection. If we concentrate on perfection, our progress will be limited to that narrow goal. By concentrating on progress, we open up all possibilities for greatness. So let’s not worry so much about being perfect; let’s focus on making progress, and be better!
