"Practice is like cooking rice. If you use a gentle flame the rice will be perfect and easy to digest, whereas with a high flame, it will burn before it is done. One should practice with a very relaxed attitude. If you do not abide in duality, ( for our purposes this means scattered thinking) neither having too much nor too little confidence, then what should you do? (...) It is not important whether you have a good grasp of the matter and can enter the practice deeply or not. ( more about why he says this later ) Just do not have any doubts about the method or whether you have the "right stuff" to practice. Do not underestimate yourself. If others can practice, then at least you can try."
This is a quote from Master Sheng Yen, a great philosopher and Spiritual practitioner.
He is talking about meditation. But he could just as well be talking about sitting at the cello. When we practice the cello we want to find what some might call the "zone." The place where the mind, emotions, and body are clear and relaxed. This allows us access to our ability and to the music itself. One reason practicing is so hard for so many people is that they don't like to sit with themselves very much. There is a running commentary going on in the back of their minds and more often than not it is negative. Not good. If one can accept the results of a practice session without complaining, the productive practice sessions will outweigh the unproductive ones. It's about being aware .....very aware. Like a cat waiting to catch a mouse. Though I don't much like the analogy!
So Sit....calm down and pay attention. When you act (make a move on the cello) be aware of what you are doing. Choose a tempo that isn't so fast that you miss what is going on. The energy you invest in working this way will allow you to become a powerful and authentic player. Being scattered and anxious is not "attention." It is distraction. What do you think? Suzanne
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