3 TIPS HOW TO OVERCOME FEAR OF FAILURE AND IMPROVISE

What if I play a note that sounds terrible or worse, a sequence of notes? What if I come across as unmusical? These are deep-seated fears some of us have and they hold us back from being the best we can be. Breathe deeply and face the fear. 

Twenty years ago, I was a classical pianist and teacher who could not improvise. I wished I could, but I couldn't. I was confused as to where to start, who to ask, what to do. My feeble attempts were unsatisfactory and sounded boring. They sounded like I did not know what I was doing, and I did not. Then fear crept in. I was afraid that there was no interesting music in me, I lacked creative music. All I can ever do is copy and play what the masters wrote. Not a terrible fate, but an unfulfillable fate for me. I wanted to experience creating and improvising music. I wanted to express my feelings with my fingers and the piano and always wondered can I ever be able to create a beautiful music. If you are one experiencing the same, then do not worry. Atlanta piano lessons for kids suggest few easier ways to get rid of fear: 

1. Focus: What you focus on becomes your reality. If you act out of fear, your fears are more likely to become true. I was cycling the other day and I focused on a rock in the road and tried to avoid it. I ran through it! Why? Because that's what I focused on. I spotted the next rock on the road and focused on the flat road next to it. I slid down the rock as if it had never been there. Focusing on fears empowers them and fears prevent us from doing our best. Focus on the path of a good improviser and think fearlessly as your fingers explore the keys.

2. Pretending: I had a student who played very shyly. He was 16 years old and had recently grown up  to 6 feet tall. I tried to bring him out of his shell and project him until I realized he was expressing his shell. He still hasn't gotten used to his 6-foot frame. He was still a child hiding inside and was a little afraid of his new body. When I suggested that he perform with me and play music like me, the change was dramatic. His game reflected and was expressive! He stopped, gave a shy smile and calmly said "but I'm not you". He was right. I had to be patient as he got comfortable in his new skin and I learned a valuable lesson. Do this until you succeed. Pretending you know what you're doing will get you there faster than fear. 

3. Talent: Talent is "what comes easily". We all have talents but most of us undermine them. They are easy for us, so they can't be valuable, right? Per online music lessons for kids, when we try to improvise and it doesn't work, we fear we are not talented. Accepting that you may not have the ability to improvise is a big step in becoming an improviser. Focusing on the lack of talent doesn't help, it's a huge waste of energy. Talent doesn't matter. There is energy and speed.