The Good Musician

Your Brain Works In Learning Plateaus

by Arjun Muralidharan on August 4th, 2007

Today I want to share a small tid-bit with you - about your brain.

We discussed “Musical Ruts” recently on TGM, and I wanted to show you how they form in the first place.

When accumalating new information, initially, your brain processes them fast, as it’s new and hot. But as you gain more knowledge of a problem, your brain is confronted with these problems, creating confusion and difficulties. This slows down your learning dramatically, and sometimes lets you think you’ve even worsened.

Understand that learning music can occur in spikes. New circumstances or experiences will suddenly jolt you up if you’ve had a long stagnation period.

I recently bought a new guitar and played a few high-profile concerts. This propelled me to new heights and I can feel it in my playing. My teacher says I have become extremely relaxed and play fairly freely, without loosing momentum of a piece.

I’m not saying you have to go buy a new guitar, but doing something new, playing a different style of music or playing in a group always helps. You’re nurturing various “learning curves” at the same time, and while some are down, others will be up.

Diversify, and you will never feel “down” or bored.

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