The Story You're Adding to the Music

Have you ever looked at a piece of music and decided it was too difficult before you even played the first note?

Perhaps your mind said:

“That’s impossible.”

“I’m not talented enough.”

“Whoever wrote this clearly wasn’t thinking of beginners.”

What’s fascinating is that none of those thoughts are actually contained within the music.

They’re stories.

One of the greatest lessons music has taught me is that we rarely respond to what’s in front of us. More often, we’re responding to what our minds have added to it.

A page of music is simply ink on paper.

The notes don’t judge you.

The rhythm isn’t trying to embarrass you.

The key signature isn’t testing your worth as a musician.

Yet within seconds, our minds can transform a simple piece of music into an emotional experience.

I think part of the reason we do this is because we all long for our lives to have meaning.

We want to be the hero who conquers the impossible challenge.

Sometimes we become the victim who believes we never had a chance.

Every great story contains conflict, and without even realising it, we begin creating that same drama around learning music.

The music becomes covered with memories.

Old mistakes.

Old performances.

Old teachers.

Old comparisons.

Old fears.

We’re no longer seeing the music.

We’re seeing our past.

Our minds are extraordinary problem-solving machines. But for the mind to solve problems, it first has to identify problems. If it can’t find one, it often creates one.

Suddenly the fingering is wrong.

The arrangement is terrible.

The rhythm is confusing.

The tempo is impossible.

Or perhaps we go to the opposite extreme.

“This is beautiful.”

“This is my favourite piece.”

“This music was written for me.”

Even positive labels are still labels.

They’re stories we’ve written over the top of the notes.

The music simply is.

Today, I’d like you to try something different.

Choose a piece of music.

Before you play a single note, spend one minute simply looking at the page.

Notice every word your mind attaches to it.

Too hard.

Easy.

Beautiful.

Confusing.

Boring.

Exciting.

Wrong.

Perfect.

Don’t try to change those thoughts.

Don’t judge yourself for having them.

Simply notice them.

Then gently remind yourself:

Those thoughts are not the music.

The notes haven’t changed.

Only your interpretation has.

That small moment of awareness can completely change the way you learn.

Because once you stop arguing with the story, you become available to experience the music itself.

If this reflection resonated with you and you’d like to explore these ideas more deeply, I’d love to welcome you into the Mat Creedon School of Music.

Inside the community you’ll find A Course in Music, the Easy Key Method, weekly live Q&A sessions, and a growing library of lessons designed to help you experience music with greater ease, confidence and joy.

Join us here:

https://www.skool.com/mat-creedon-school-of-music-4248/about

Until next time, remember...

Music really is Medicine.

— Mat Creedon