Whose Blues

Another trial complete, and I’m hoping to break a bad habit with this one. Rather than the usual taking a break at the end, I’m going to do my best to keep the momentum going and continue regular harmonica practice. All in all, I enjoyed the experience, but it’s a category of trial I’ve had a hard time keeping up with, adding new hobbies to an already busy day.

Slow and Steady

Even with some knowledge of music, I’ve had a tough time feeling great about what I played during practice. Whether I was just playing tabs for a song or just improvising a tune, I doubt it sounded any good.

This is somewhat expected, as I sometimes forget just how short four weeks actually is. Switching to the video lessons after the first week was a major improvement to the overall experience. I appreciated the design of the course as it focused on mastering a specific element before moving on. Whether it was a simple warmup or a specific song. That little bit of tangible progression was satisfying.

There are a few times that something clicked or just felt right that feels so incredibly rewarding. I’m looking forward to developing more and more, being able to play something more impressive. I’ve long believed that music is an important part of culture.

One of the major things I had to keep reminding myself of is that slow and steady progress is not only okay, but expected. I’m not looking to become an overnight sensation, just have some fun learning something new along the way.

Eyes Forward

I’ve had a lot of fun learning the harmonica and revisiting music after many years away. On the surface it seems like a simple instrument, but there is an extreme depth to be found when sought out.

As mentioned, a long habit I’ve had after trials is to take a brief break after immersing in them for so many weeks. This of course leads to ceasing to continue the habit or practice of a given trial. While I don’t plan to continue a daily practice, keeping practice on my calendar a few times a week should help practice while not over booking myself.

A reason for this bad habit stems from the challenge of adding things to a daily routine that already feels cumbersome at times. With this ease of removal in mind, I’m avoiding some other trials on my radar at this time. For the next few weeks I’ll be revisiting a previous trial, minimalism. Though this time with a focus on organization, schedules, and habits.