You're probably extremely curious (and in some cases worried) about the title of today's blah. Don't worry, it's not bad. Actually, quite grand and productive.
You see, I love making mistakes. No sarcasm involved. I mean, yes, there are many many cases where I HATE it more than anything, but that doesn't apply when I'm playing or learning to play a song on the piano. Especially when I'm learning.
Now, I'm certainly no Beethoven. I'm actually not really that good. I know a few scales and select songs by heart, and can read music fairly well. (Though, quite often I have to count down to the notes on the bass clef.) My grandmother taught me how to play Twinkle Twinkle and Kyrie Eleison. I taught myself, by listening to the music on my iPod and pulling out the notes, how to play Seasons of Love and (most of) Take Me Or Leave Me. I'm working on learning how to play God's Alive and Well and Hannah's Blue Balloon, along with a few others like Mirror Mirror.
Right now, I'm making quick progress on learning how to play I'll Follow You Into the Dark by Death Cab for Cutie. I'll admit, this time I'm using sheet music arranged by someone on a lovely site called Noteflight. (I use it all the time to transpose my own songs and covers.) But I'm winging a few parts.
I keep messing up. Terribly. But I find it fun and exciting when I do. It just makes it even more fun and exciting to me when I actually get it right. I mean, would you really enjoy it if you got it right the first time every time? I don't think I'd feel really accomplished with myself if I did.
So, all my mistakes actually excite and make me really happy. Through repetition I'm slowly getting better, and when I finally made it through the intro without making a single mistake once, twice, thrice, I was EXTREMELY excited and proud of myself. And it feels really good to get over a mistake I've made.
Especially when I'm learning to play a new song on the piano. But there's one thing I've discovered about these musical mistakes: I make less of them when I'm not trying as hard. I know that sounds really strange, but it's true. The more I let myself become absorbed into the music and stop focusing so hard on what I'm doing, the better whatever I'm playing sounds!
That doesn't ever change the fact that I am GOING to mess up when I'm still trying to learn a part, but that's okay. Like I said, these kinds of mistakes are actually really fun to make. And even more fun to permanently get over.
So here's my advice to all of you: Don't stress out over your little mistakes. Don't cry over spilled milk. Don't just sit there in the dirt when you trip and fall. Stand up, brush yourself off, and try again. Because getting over those little mistakes feels like the best thing ever. And if you don't try again, you won't get the joy and satisfaction of accomplishing something that once seemed impossible.
So go ahead and make a mistake here and there. Trust me when I say, you'll feel better about yourself if you do. Because where there is a mistake, there is a way to overcome it and make it into something much better.
Hannah Haugen
The Daily Blahgger
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