A brand new year is almost upon us. That’s 365 new chances to become a better person. This is the time of year when we promise to eat less, spend less, and read more. It’s the time of year when we darken the door of the local gym with the best of intentions. Who are we fooling? By February we’ll be driving past the gym on our way to pick up a pizza so that we can finish our day of shopping in front of the TV.

But maybe we’re not the problem. We’re musicians – typical resolutions might simply be too easy for us. We get bored, and then we lose interest. What we need is a challenge. Alright then, here is a set of Musicians’ Resolutions that we can all keep long after we’ve ditched our last spin class and filled our vegetable drawer with pudding packs.

1. “I will improve my practice sessions.”

Ripping your way through “Enter Sandman,” “Don’t Stop Believin’,” or “Wipeout” for the bazillionth time doesn’t count as practice. Commit to a regular practice schedule and make it count. Here are a few tips to get you started:

Don’t skip. Yes, it’s worth saying twice. Committing to a regular practice schedule will accelerate your progress as a musician. When you skip practice, you risk losing all the progress you made in the session before. You will wind up on a hamster wheel, relearning the same techniques over and over.
Do the hard stuff first. Early in your session, push yourself to work on something new, even if you’re terrible at it. The challenge keeps you engaged, and expands your arsenal of techniques. End your practice session with a few of your favorites – numbers you know inside and out. After all, if music wasn’t supposed to be fun they wouldn’t call it “playing.”

Record your practice. Listening to your practice performance can help you quickly identify and correct imperfections in your playing – even the hidden ones. Save recordings so you can track your progress as a musician. You’ll be surprised and encouraged by your progress.

2. “I will learn some music theory.”

Yeah, yeah – this one might as well be “eat more vegetables.” But if you’re a musician, music theory actually makes your life easier. Music theory is the result of scores of musicians studying music for hundreds of years – they’ve already done the heavy lifting for us. Music theory lets you write music without stumbling around to find the right note by accident. Your writing will be faster and more solid because you know why you’re doing what you’re doing. Best of all, music theory is easy to learn. All you need to do is crack open a book, or study with a good teacher. It’s either that or rediscover hundreds of years of musical discovery on your own – good luck, we’ll see you in the cutout bin.

3. “I will travel to another genre.”

Traveling to another country, another culture, expands your view. You can learn a new skill, a new way of seeing things, and gain a better insight of the world. The same goes for music. By exploring and learning a few pieces from genres outside of your comfort zone, you will learn techniques that you can apply to your own everyday playing. Rock ‘n’ Roll, country, R&B, classical, jazz, world music, folk music, polka – get out and get playing.

4. “I will stop relying on post production.”

Today’s studio software is amazing, but it’s no replacement for good studio work. Before you record a single track, make sure your instruments sound right for the room you’re recording in. Work out the parts of your track at a lower volume – it’s a lot easier for rough spots to hide in a high-volume, high energy performance. Remember, effects and compressions cannot correct playing issues, they can only create better sounding playing issues.

5. “I will make a new musician friend.”

As musicians, it’s easy to settle into a clique with other musicians that play what we do, the way we do. That’s fine, everyone needs friends, but it can also stifle your growth as a musician. This year, keep an eye open for another musician to get to know. Someone from a different style, or from a different genre. Start up a conversation. Ask questions. Maybe even go to a concert or sit in on a jam session with their friends or band. You’ll be surprised what you can learn.

So there you go. Ignore the gym. Order a house special with extra everything. You’re a musician and you have your own resolutions to keep. Don’t you know it’s gonna be all right, all right, all right.

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