I was reminded of this recently.  After a lesson in which I just couldn’t seem to play a certain excerpt well enough to satisfy my teacher or myself, I took a long hard look at my practice habits, and realized that I simply wasn’t putting in enough time.  I had gotten lazy and drifted into what I call “maintenance mode,” doing just enough to maintain most of my technique and endurance, and hold my own at gigs.

That week, I made a conscious effort to improve my practice habits.  I planned ahead, found some new convenient practice spots, made time in my schedule, and stayed at school longer when necessary.  Almost like magic, some of the problems that had been plaguing me just disappeared.  Things I hadn’t even specifically worked on became easier to do.  While I had previously felt like I was fighting the horn, I now began to feel like a virtuoso.  It was as if my increased practice time had “unlocked” an ease of playing that I couldn’t have if I didn’t do that extra hour each day.

That wasn’t the first time that has happened to me.  I can remember several times- usually while preparing for auditions or recitals, that I broke through a plateau by adding as little as 30 minutes of daily practice to my routine.

I don’t mean to say that all my challenges instantly disappeared, or that I won a full-time symphony job the following week.  Neither of those things happened.  I’m still the same player I was before I changed my habits- still a grad student trying to win my first job.  I still have a lot of work to do before I’m the player I want to be.

My point is that there is a price for playing the French horn, paid in time and sweat.  The higher the level at which you want to play, the higher the price, and it’s not enough to pay it once.  If you want to unlock your personal best, you have to pay that price every day for the rest of your career.