“I used to play the piano ….

… but I gave it up because I wasn’t any good.”

It makes my heart bleed when I hear this. While I support the pursuit of excellence, surely that shouldn’t be the only of measure of whether something is worth doing? Why is it that an activity is only valued if one is highly proficient at it? While most amateurs will not play like professionals, and some will find it easier that others, playing at any level is valid if it’s something that someone really wants to do and it means something to them. Making music is a life-enhancing activity, loaded with meaning for both players and listeners; in my view it shouldn’t be seen as the norm that only people who are highly competent should embark on learning an instrument.

If you want to play, just do it! Remember that music has been a natural activity in all cultures throughout the ages, and everyone would take part in music and dance at moments of celebration or ritual or simply during work. In these settings there wasn’t this elitist “you’re either talented or you’re not” dichotomy. That’s something that’s developed since people have become accustomed to listening to recordings of “perfect” performances.

Consider a re-assessment of your goals – taking grades or working towards nerve-wracking performances may not be the way forward, depending on what else is going on in your life. Some people struggle with reading notation, so it could be that becoming competent at playing a few tunes by ear or some simple improvisation would be more appropriate and rewarding activities. Perhaps they might be shared with young children – and they can teach us a thing or two about creativity and “play”!

It's as much about how as about what you play – do you do it joyfully or anxiously? (very likely a bit of both!). So the idea of “progress” can mean different things. Enjoying yourself can be a goal in itself which may also lead to less anxiety and more proficiency in the conventional sense – both are worthy achievements.

So if you’d really like to play then don’t worry about being good at it, do it because it’s good for you!