Sometimes we feel inspired by something — a performance, a painting, a moment in a film — but we don’t know how to bring that feeling into our actual music practice.

Many musicians flinch at the sound of a squeak, a rough note, or a moment out of tune. We tense up, recoil, and let our desire to sound “good” take over. But what if sounding bad was actually part of the process?

There’s a popular saying that if your practice sounds good, you’re doing it wrong. But is that really true?

We all go through plateaus in our music practice. Even when we’re showing up every day, it can feel like we’re not making progress — like something’s stuck, or we’ve lost momentum.

Sometimes your emotions feel too big (or too dull!) to practice through. But what if you could use them?

If your practice feels tight, tense, or overly mechanical, this exercise is for you.

Improvisation as a pianist, guitarist, violinist or singer can feel intimidating if you’ve never tried it before. But the first five minutes of your practice session are the perfect time to experiment — you’ve got nothing to lose.

Have you ever felt that rush of inspiration when you first discover something new? But then, the second time you watch, listen to, or read that same thing, it doesn’t have the same power.

Are you holding back in your music practice because you're afraid of messing up? In this video, I share one of my favourite pieces of advice from my former double bass teacher, a bit of Aussie slang!