Help me not be petty.

[Bonham79]

Because I lack sanity, i choose to ask the internet for something best left for personal matters:

I've been playing piano for seven years. I cannot say I've been dedicated until the later half of those years. Yet, it's always been something I loved. Currently, I'm taking a music theory class with people that have been probably been playing since age five. These people can play instantly pieces I struggle with, sight read amazingly and are all together more fluent than I. Now I've accepted this as a facet of being trained in classical music while I was in jazz. I though i compensated for lesser, but not horrible, ability with a truer understanding and love for the music.

That was until today, we had to improvise a melody, something i should have rocked at, and found out i couldn't think of a thing while everybody was writing out something decent sounding. I was expecting to be surrounded by people that were completely robotic at playing the same thing, no they actually were having an easier time than I. Now, i feel completely inferior and like a loser. As well, my friend, who I enjoyed talking about music with, has been hanging out with a better piano player and I feel replaced.

So, from your standpoint, why am i so petty when it makes sense that people who are more dedicated and have been playing longer are better. Why am I so jealous about something being completely fair? Oh, and help me not be.

 

[FilipJPhry]

I don't know if it would translate well to piano, but when I improvise when playing the guitar or bass, I think of a drumbeat. Any drumbeat. As long as you know the beat is easy to play to, coming up with a simple riff becomes easier. Look up drumbeats online that you can play along to. Hell, it doesn't have to be drums. It could be rap, or even just listening to an orchestra's percussions would help.

 

[chaosyoshimage]

And this is one of the reasons I've never picked up an instrument. Now that I think about it, maybe it's why I haven't really picked up any talent. This gives me a lot to think about...

Oh, you wanted help, sorry, I'm never very helpful, but I do seem to see things the same way.

 

[bizentine]

Being petty, in this case, should be driving you to be better. Practice more and catch up with them, or you'll just have to learn to accept feeling like you're always second best. Thats just how music works.

Embrace your nature and use it to better yourself.

 

[Liviola]

Being petty, in this case, should be driving you to be better. Practice more and catch up with them, or you'll just have to learn to accept feeling like you're always second best. Thats just how music works.

Embrace your nature and use it to better yourself.

Basically, this.

The way you are feeling is human nature. You'd be a robot if you didn't feel any response to a tough day like this. I've definitely had moments like this, where I believed I was ahead of the class in a specific thing, only to be shot down or underperform. It is a really crushing feeling, but it passes, and it's no excuse to give up!

From one artist to another (visual artist, since I know nothing of music): your strength is in how different you and your style is from everybody else. Flaunt those jazz roots. You might have had a tough time in improvisation class today, but don't let that get in the way of your real passion. That 1 class exercise isn't "proof" of your talent.

 

[Bonham79]

Being petty, in this case, should be driving you to be better. Practice more and catch up with them, or you'll just have to learn to accept feeling like you're always second best. Thats just how music works.

Embrace your nature and use it to better yourself.

But wouldn't embracing the pettiness and using it be giving fuel to the fire? Music shouldn't be about one upping competition, it should just be for the love of it. I don't want to feel like I'm giving strength to a worse version of myself.

 

[rawfy]

try not to worry so much on being number one....you can't win everybody, i'm sure you have many idea's but your restricting them to things that you think will impress your crowd.

I think your problem is that your looking at music like a sport, your not training your legs to outrun someone for the gold medal, your creating something from your imagination that you relate to and enjoy and in turn someone else who closer relates to you will.

I practically depend on music as my outlet as well, and it's not really received in great reception (if it's received at all....lol) I think finding other aspects of yourself would really benefit you, just to relieve your current pressure your putting on yourself. I'm still working on that myself though...xD

 

[chefassassin2]

I think a small dose of pettiness can be a good thing to help "fuel the fire" in a way. As a cook, I've had to improvise dishes on the fly. The trick sometimes, is to use something you've done before, and use it as a springboard. I've had to cook against others, and their dishes have kicked mine's butt. And I got peeved, thinking how could that beat this. So I try to figure out where they're coming from in their idea, and then work with that to make my own repertoire bigger and better. Petty? Yup. Useful? Hell yes. Mmhelped me get where I am now. Hope that helps and makes some sense.