Vilfredo Pareto, an economist from Switzerland who lived from 1848-1923, came up with a formula that stated: 80% of your results come from 20% of your efforts. Various internet marketers have used this principle to tout and sell their versions of time management products. I remember my teachers telling me that I would need to spend 90% of my time on 10% percent of a piece. So maybe there's some truth there. Of course the opposite would be to say that 80% of our efforts yield 20% results. Now that's a sobering thought!
This idea has motivated me to ask of myself, "what is the most effective way I can practice and what is the most important thing to work on now?" When I warm up, am I doing mindless drills to get warm or am I working on getting better? Looking at a new jazz tune, I notice that I know most of the chords and there are only a few places that need my attention. The same in my s practice, I spend most of my time fixing problems that happen on the same notes in different pieces. Or when the high range gets tight and I begin to struggle, I stop and do a DMS lesson and that clears up the problem. Part of me says I need to keep trying and another part says, "lets find out how we can solve this problem in another way."
I once heard a quote form an orchestra musician who said, the Feldenkrais Method is a waste of time, I'd rather practice." Is that really true? Would it not be better to work on awareness with and away from the instrument to get better or, as Einstein said, "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."
So I'm curious, what's your 80/20? How do you get your greatest results from your 20%?
Thanks for reading!
Be sure to check out the DMS podcasts, Feldenkrais mini lessons for musicians and speakers.
From iTunes
You can purchase the “Dynamic Musician Series: Dynamic Stability and Breath, Vols. 1 & 2” here.
Achieving Excellence.com
Amazon.com
Chili notes (in Germany and Europe) Volume 1 Volume 2
If you have any specific questions or comments on breathing and posture, send me e-mail and I’ll try to respond in a future blog. Until then, breathe well!
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