Mastering scales before Rachmaninov

Step by step…

Piano Teacher: One step starts a long journey. 

Olivia: That’s why you only set small daily challenges?

I can do this...

Piano Teacher: Think of it like breakfast. You’re stressed. That day’s events distract. Take one spoon of cereal. Pretty soon you’re through eating, on your way, energized. Anyway, this week scales right hand. Next week scales left hand. Throw in a few chords as a reward. Then on to a simple piece.

Olivia: So you’re saying I shouldn’t start with the Rachmaninov?

Piano Teacher: Dream it. That’s OK. But it’s not this week’s goal.

________

Voice-over

Biting off more than you can chew sets you for choking. Not knowing what you are capable of results in unrealistic goals setting you up for a DNF “did not finish”. “I can do that” trap so you end up doing nothing and going nowhere. Daily exercising. Daily sketching. Daily Vocabulary. Daily writing. Excerpts grow into expertise and on to a life work and perhaps eventually a magnum opus.