What to do when you stop making progress

If you are traveling along nicely and find yourself suddenly stuck on a piece of music and making no real progress, Here is a list of things to try. I have used them all with success. Please add the list if you have a technique that works for you.


MUSIC BLOCK TIPS
listen to the piece (press s)
change views up a level so you can read the notes further ahead on the screen
play something harder, when you go back to it it WILL be easy!
Sing it in solfege (in key optional but prefeable for all listening )
wait 2-3 days and try again
play it with unlabeled notes view 2,4,5,6, when you go back to labeled notes it will look easy!
play Fruit Lines instead (yes, give up for a while)

Mandabplus3 wrote: If you are traveling along nicely and find yourself suddenly stuck on a piece of music and making no real progress, Here is a list of things to try. I have used them all with success. Please add the list if you have a technique that works for you.


MUSIC BLOCK TIPS
listen to the piece (press s)
change views up a level so you can read the notes further ahead on the screen
play something harder, when you go back to it it WILL be easy!
Sing it in solfege (in key optional but prefeable for all listening )
wait 2-3 days and try again
play it with unlabeled notes view 2,4,5,6, when you go back to labeled notes it will look easy!
play Fruit Lines instead (yes, give up for a while)

There is also one more thing: cut the piece in small sections and master them.
When first section is mastered - go to the second one and master. After that 'glue' the sections together and work on the third one.

Sometimes going back a step works as well. So, play with an easier view or go back to separate hands instead of both together. Or try to play more slowly.

I find that progress comes in steps rather than as a gradual improvement. I can be getting really frustrated and then one day it all comes together when I'm not expecting it. So sometimes just keeping on going is the answer!

And definitely spending time on the tricky sections makes a huge difference. They are not so much fun so I can sometimes find myself avoiding this but spending a few days working mainly on one or two short difficult sections always helps a lot.