Imagine you’re learning a new song. While you’re practising, lots of thoughts might pop into your head. “I’m too slow.” “This is easy.” “I’ll never remember this.” “My friend is better than me.” Here’s something interesting… Those thoughts aren’t the music. They’re just thoughts. The only thing that’s really happening is that you’re learning. The more you can notice your thoughts without believing every one of them, the easier it becomes to enjoy making music. Musicians improve fastest when they listen more to the music than to the voice in their head.

Here’s something I’ve been reflecting on this morning. Imagine two musicians receive exactly the same feedback. “Let’s play that section one more time.” One feels encouraged. The other feels crushed. The feedback was identical. So what changed? The meaning. It’s easy to think our suffering comes from teachers, audiences, comments or mistakes. But perhaps much of it comes from the stories we quietly tell ourselves afterwards. Music has taught me that feedback isn’t failure. It’s simply information. 🌿 Reflection Questions 🎵 Can you remember a time when you realised you had misunderstood someone’s feedback? 🎵 Has a teacher ever said something that felt painful at first but later became one of the most valuable lessons you received? 🎵 What story do you most often tell yourself after making a mistake? I’d love to hear your thoughts below.

How do you choose a suitable rhythm to play when you have a lead sheet for a (pop) song you want to play on the piano? Do you just play the chord with your right hand and the bass note with your left hand in a specific rhythm? Or what is the best way to approach this? There surely isn't a "one-size-fits-all" answer to this. :-) But I am looking for a strategy I can use when I start a new song... And once I have a foundation, I can always start adding things later.

Learning music is so much easier when you have someone to ask. That’s why I’m introducing a new weekly feature inside our community… 🎵 Ask Mat Every Friday, I’ll answer your music questions. Whether you’re learning piano, guitar, bass, ukulele, drums, singing, or any other instrument, you’re welcome to join in. You can post: 🎹 Videos of your playing 🎵 Recordings you’re working on 📖 Reading music questions 🎼 Chord charts and lead sheets 👂 Ear training questions 🎵 Music theory 🎹 The Easy Key Method Or anything else that’s helping—or frustrating—you on your musical journey. Simply leave your question, video, recording or photo in the comments below throughout the week. Then, every Friday, I’ll personally jump in and answer as many questions as I can. No question is too simple. One of the wonderful things about this community is that we’re all learning together. Feel free to help each other in the comments as well. You never know—your question might be exactly what someone else needed to hear. I’m looking forward to seeing what you’re working on. Let’s make some music! 🎶