I believe that making great music involves taking steep treks. According to the dictionary, a trek is “a long, arduous journey.” Just because a trek is arduous doesn’t mean that it is awful. Far from that. If our life was a merry walk, the experiences we gained wouldn’t have an impact on us. We would brush them off like a leaf. We strive to treasure our experiences and tell them to people who take an interest.

In all my years playing, crafting such a skill requires careful time and effort on a musician’s part. I say “careful” because every minute of practice is best used with a purpose in mind. This can range from nailing intonation in a scale to sight-reading a passage.

Only when we have challenges, will we know that we are climbing higher.