Hi!  It seems like every time I sat down to write this post, I couldn't find the right words for what I wanted to say, or even the right topic.  I could feel that since I've started blogging daily I've been getting increasingly passionate about something, but I couldn't identify exactly what that was.  Do you ever have the feeling that something's bubbling up from just beneath the surface, but you can't quite put it into words?  That's how I felt.

Today, I finally realized what I want to convey to you:

You are SO close to playing piano with more joy and fluency.  Whatever style of music you like, if you can just go a little further, you'll enter a whole new world of music.  Whatever that means to you personally.

Maybe it means practicing a little more consistently.  Or adding just 1 minute of scales at he end of your usual practice routine.  Maybe it means playing your favorite music for 2 hours each weekend.  Or for you it could mean jamming for 3 hours each Friday night with your friends.  Maybe it means getting a little more instruction. Maybe it means playing for your family for 10 minutes each evening after dinner.  Maybe it means finally tackling those Chopin Etudes in a systematic manner.

I'm trying to put into words something that I've seen over and over, among piano students of all ages, for the past 30 years: Everyone puts in what they consider their best effort "under the circumstances."  But if you can manage to squeeze out just a little bit more, you'll go a lot further towards playing the way you ultimately want to play.

Good luck and remember to enjoy yourself 🙂

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