Immediate Gratification - Simply NOT Possible!

Long-term student

This trend is counter-productive for making music at any level

Many of my students and friends lament a current trend towards "immediate gratification" (aka reaping the reward immediately following the effort to obtain that reward.) I see only some degree of this, but whether they are right or I am, I do know one thing - that it is simply not possible to obtain the "reward" of playing music at a pro level immediately. Never has been, never will be.

Now there's no shortage of scam artists online and elsewhere who will claim that this can be done with their "wonderful NEW (they always use that term) method" of learning. Hah. I have collected teaching books which make the same claims back to 1912! If they were right back then a ton more people would be able to play at some level. Check out whether this is true or not.

Besides, who actually wants to play at a pro level. Isn't it enough to be a competent hobbyist? And there is one "reward" that happens each and every time you press a key on any kind of keyboarded instrument - you get a sound. It's vastly easier than playing guitar, violin, or trumpet. Should you sit down for longer than a single sound you can be rewarded with improvement in what you do. Now you won't get a professional piece - that requires professional level work and skills, etc. What you WILL get, however, is something better than what it was when you sat down. Honest.

I personally lament that the idea even exists that you should sound like a pro without being a pro. THAT idea is out there but it simply can't be true. I also lament the idea that "if I can't sound like a pro then I'll just listen." Crazy stuff. I tell my students they should try being good hobbyists.