Is it Important to Develop Patience as a Musician?
Simply put, yes. “Patience is a virtue” and while exactly who first said (or wrote) that is debated the quote still rings out with truth. In music, the willingness to wait and have good self-control and disciple is important, because there are times when your drive and desire are the only things you have to rely on when it comes to practicing and improving. Skills take time to develop and little by little you’ll get better each day. Patience, like many other things, can be learned and developed, which is fantastic because patience is an important skill to have when it comes to becoming a successful musician.
Life is not like a movie or tv show, people very rarely just start expertly playing or performing well, it takes practice and even seasoned musicians have to put extensive work and practice into their art. As Frank Lloyd Wright once said, “You have to go wholeheartedly into anything in order to achieve anything worth having.” But in order to do this you’ll need to be patient with yourself. If it takes you a while to get the finger position to hit that cord just right, then don’t get frustrated. Life and everything in it is a journey, and all journeys end at some point, if you keep at it you’ll get better and the things you once found difficult will be simple.
Exercising patience as a musician will teach you many things. For example, you’ll develop discipline. The more you practice and exercise patience the better idea you will have of yourself and what it takes for you to grasp a concept or learn something new. Perfection is a myth, and that is a beautiful concept because that means you always have room to improve and grow as an artist.