Are there times when you feel that you have lost that "magic" in your piano playing? There are certainly some moments that this happens to me. What do you do when you feel your playing starts to sound redundant and uninspired? How do you get back that spark you may have once had? How do you get inspired and get your creative juices flowing again? I believe the first step in getting my mojo back is to think about and identify what might inspire me and actually motivate me. Here are a few items that usually gets me back on track:
Dance! I spent many years as a dancer and as a ballet dance class accompanist, so dance naturally inspires me. Looking at a dance performance or watching a company that I really admire may get my creative juices flowing again.
Listening to good music! This music can be anything, not necessarily classical or any jazz music that I'm working on. For me, it could range from classic R and B to Hip Hop to Classic Rock, it really doesn't matter.
Getting out in nature! I love gardening, taking walks and breathing fresh air. Sometimes just doing these simple activities gets me inspired.
Watching a live performance. This could be live music, watching a play, or a musical.
Watching and listening to someone that inspires me. I'm energized by a lot of musicians from Bill Evans to Grover Washington, Jr. to Drake! Additionally, I have recently been listening to podcasts and watching tutorials of other musicians and business people and that has also been motivating for me.
Buying new sheet music to learn some new music. I know most of us have more sheet music than we would like to admit, but sometimes getting something new, just might do the trick. I just ordered a couple of books that I'm excited to start practicing and learning.
Getting out of my comfort zone, musically speaking. For me, this means trying or re-trying something and maybe trying out a new genre. Lately, I have been working on playing jazz music. It's challenging, but also exciting.
Going through my current sheet music and music books collection is a good way to spark something in me. I'm pretty sure I'm like many other musicians who have amassed a pretty good-sized collection of music. I find when I go through it every once in a while, I will discover music I hadn't played in a while that I really like or even music that I have never played before.
If you are feeling uninspired, try and come up with a list for yourself of what energizes you so you can get back that magic!