A Proven Approach for Music Creators To Learn Any Skill Rapidly
To stand out in a competitive field skill stacking is a necessity.
I wish to stand out by winning multiple Grammy awards as a music producer. A talented producer is capable of a wide range of skills, so I have been approaching this goal through a three-step process focused on rapid skill acquisition.
Here is my current approach:
Step 1 - Acquiring and honing various technical skills as a freelance producer.
Step 2- Furthering my development by teaching myself production frameworks and three instruments: piano, bass, and guitar.
Step 3 - Develop a writing habit to share my learnings with fellow music creators. This practice not only supports others in their journeys but also helps me clarify my thoughts on music creation and deepen my understanding of the craft.
Several years back I came across an incredible book called Ultralearning by Scott H. Young. His book's objective is to teach rapid skill acquisition.
Why should you consider his approach?
He mastered 4 languages in a year so he is a great voice for this topic. I've been following his approach to tackle my 3-step process.
These are his 9 Principles of Ultralearning:
1) Meta-learning - Figure out what you need to learn by mapping it out.
2) Focus - carve out time for focused learning sessions
3) Directness - learn by doing
4) Drill - attack your weakest points
5) Retrieval - testing yourself is a powerful tool
6) Feedback - solicit feedback for continuous improvement
7) Retention - practice learned skills periodically to keep them fresh
8) Intuition - skill acquisition followed by play and exploration
9) Experimentation - explore outside your comfort zone
How to use this framework
To give you an idea on how to apply this to your creative goals I'll share the strategy that I'm using to learn how to play bass guitar.
1) Metalearning - I looked for YouTube tutorials and online sites that showed me step-by-step how to go from a beginner to an intermediate player. This way, I was able to see what skills I needed to learn and the best order to learn them.
2) Focus - I schedule practice time using a time-block strategy. Usually 25 minutes at a time.
I keep a notebook on my desk for random ideas that come to mind. This stops me from breaking my focus on my practice session.
3) Drill - When I'm learning a song, I break it down into small measures or just a few notes and practice them.
I usually did this separately for each part and then put everything together a few days later. This helped me avoid playing the parts I already knew over and over again.
4) Directness - I'm writing bass lines for my music.
5) Feedback - When practicing the basslines I record myself in my music software.
With my trained musical ear, I can tell if my work sounds good or not. I also get feedback from bass players who play the bass lines I write for my music projects.
This framework can be adapted to any skill you want to learn.
🧠 Quote of the week
"Go smaller. Can’t learn an exercise? Reduce the range of motion. Struggling to grasp a new concept? Break it down. Failing to stick with a habit? Make it easy. Master stage one, then advance." - James Clear
That's a wrap for this week! Take care,
Melvin Darrell
