{"id":200389,"date":"2022-03-08T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-08T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.classicalguitarshed.com\/?p=200389"},"modified":"2022-03-05T01:56:02","modified_gmt":"2022-03-05T09:56:02","slug":"tq-robert-breault-enjoy-the-little-things","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/classicalguitarshed.com\/tq-robert-breault-enjoy-the-little-things\/","title":{"rendered":"Robert Breault on Enjoying Each Moment of Practice"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Tuesday Quotes are short explorations of music, life, and the daily endeavor of practicing classical guitar. Find more here<\/a>. Enjoy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

\u201cEnjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big ones.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>

Robert Breault<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

In the documentary Fourteen Peaks, Nirmal Purja, a Nepalese mountaineer, climbs the world\u2019s fourteen tallest peaks in under seven months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s an astonishing accomplishment. It broke eight world records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this film, we see him on each peak, triumphant. And on each peak, he talks about the next peak he and his team will conquer. After coming down from the last peak, his focus is on how he thinks the reception should be bigger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And at the end of the film, when asked what he will do next, he has no idea. But he wants it to be bigger and better. There is only \u201cNext, Next, Next.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We can easily make this same blunder in guitar practice. We can put too much emphasis on goals and endpoints<\/a>. And in doing so, miss out on the gift that each practice brings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claude Monet, the great painter, said, \u201cWhen I work I forget all the rest.\u201d When he paints, he enjoys one-pointed attention. There is no later, no next mountaintop. Only the current brushstroke, the light in the moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we listen closely to our thoughts in practice, we may be surprised at how many are based in the future or the past. Having made time for playing the guitar, we spend it talking in our heads about anything but.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A common performance suggestion is \u201cPlay your music as a gift.\u201d And in the moment of performance<\/a>, this can seem a useless platitude. It seems so abstract, especially when the adrenaline is pumping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But we can use this in daily practice to great effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To play as a gift is to take the ego out of it. To not worry about missing notes or making unwanted noises<\/a>. Like a picture drawn by a child, offered as a simple and pure gesture, flaws and all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We can intend this gift for ourselves, someone we love, a situation, or the world. We can dedicate the practice to anyone or anything. The point is that we project it outward and release it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To play as a gift means to bring gratitude and presence to each moment of practice. It is no longer about proving anything. It\u2019s just about being there and doing something for the enjoyment of it<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We can bring this attitude to each note of a scale, each chord of a piece. We can tune our guitar as a gift. We can practice sight-reading as a gift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For anything we do, we can let go of the need to be right about it. The greater implications can drop away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This allows us to focus on process<\/a>. We can relish each step, one at a time. And this leads to better outcomes anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not always easy – the mind likes to wander and create stirring stories. It takes gentle discipline to remind ourselves that none of those thoughts really matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Operatic tenor Robert Breault also said, \u201cNo matter what it is, if you aren\u2019t happy striving for it, you won\u2019t be happy achieving it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each moment of practice is precious. It\u2019s a chance to feel how our bodies move<\/a>, to work at worthwhile challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sure, it will be wonderful to play our pieces at a high level. But if played well, they too will be only a series of present moments. One at a time, lived with appreciation, compassion, and generosity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tuesday Quotes are short explorations of music, life, and the daily endeavor of practicing classical guitar. Find more here. Enjoy! \u201cEnjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big ones.\u201d\u00a0 Robert Breault In the documentary Fourteen Peaks, Nirmal Purja, a Nepalese mountaineer, climbs the world\u2019s fourteen tallest peaks in under seven months. It\u2019s an … <\/p>\n

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