The 100% Mindset: How to grow as a musician with every song!

Learning to play new songs can be a great way to become a better musician. However, you need the right approach; otherwise, you may find yourself stuck at the same level. As many players have discovered, simply learning more songs does not guarantee growth as a musician. In this article, I will explain how to grow as a musician with each song you learn.

The intermediate plateau

When you first start playing an instrument, everything is challenging. Whether it’s holding a saxophone, sitting behind a piano, or fretting notes on a guitar, everything feels a bit unnatural. This initial struggle is beneficial for your progress. Since everything is hard, it doesn’t matter which song you learn; you will encounter new challenges that require hard work, practice, and persistence to overcome.

However, things change once you have acquired some basic skills and reached an intermediate level. You can learn songs with less time and effort. While this is rewarding, it is also the point where many guitarists stop improving and hit a plateau.

The awkward 10%

Often, you can learn 90% of a new song without major problems. However, the remaining 10% may feel uncomfortable or awkward to play. To cope, you might find ways to play that 10% that sound similar but feel more comfortable, such as using familiar chord voicings or strumming patterns. While this strategy can be useful, especially before a gig, it hinders your improvement. “Kinda learning a song” becomes your enemy, as you are reusing existing skills instead of refining them or adding new ones.

The awkward 10% is where real improvement occurs. As Muhammad Ali said, “I only start counting sit-ups when they start to hurt because those are the ones that count.” If you can learn a song without much effort, your gains will be limited. Focus and intense practice, similar to when you first started playing music, will lead to growth as a musician. Embrace the hard 10%—that’s where progress is made.

How to get to 100%?

By adopting a mindset of striving for 100%, every song you learn becomes an opportunity for growth, even the simplest ones. While technology is a common focus for reaching 100%, it’s not the only way to maximize your learning. Here are three steps I recommend taking every time.

1. Figure out the song by ear

Learning a song by ear, rather than relying on TAB, sheet music, or video lessons, trains two distinct skills. First, you enhance your ability to hear in greater detail, picking out different instruments and bass notes. This deepens your understanding of the song. Second, you develop the skill to translate sounds you hear in your head to your instrument: to play by ear. This skill is beneficial for various musical activities, including improvisation, songwriting, and performing.

2. Analyse the music theory

Next, analyse the music theory underlying the song. Start by asking questions like: Why do these chords sound good together? Why does this melody evoke sadness? Answering these questions connects the sounds you hear in the song to music theory, ensuring your understanding is both practical and intuitive. After all, music theory without music is just math!

3. Strive for perfection

After some practice, you may be able to play the song. But can you absolutely nail it? Can you play it flawlessly ten times in a row? There is almost always something to improve, whether it’s timing, feel, sound, or dynamics. While this may seem demotivating, it can be rewarding to work on elevating your playing from good enough to close to perfect.

Practice slowly

One critical aspect of improving your technique is to practice slowly! When polishing parts of your playing, slowing down helps you unlearn habits and discover better techniques. I recommend using a metronome to ensure you maintain a steady pace and take the time to perfect your technique. Playing slowly has two advantages: it allows you to hear small imperfections that may be inaudible at faster speeds, and it enables you to execute movements perfectly. As the saying goes, slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.

The power of learning songs

Studying the music you love is a fantastic way to become a better musician. It is more inspiring than dry exercises and ensures you spend your practice time on relevant skills. For instance, you could practice sweep picking for hours, but if it’s rarely needed in your playing, it may not be the best use of your time. By using songs you love as practice material, you focus on what you need for everyday playing. This approach, combined with the ‘100% mindset,’ makes learning songs a fun, musical, and effective way to grow as a musician!

Just Rijna is the founder of StringKick, an online training academy for guitar players. StringKick focuses on helping you train your ears, learn music theory, and develop your musicality, making your musical journey more fun and fulfilling.