Your 2 Percent
By: Yve Laran
Tags: Self-awareness, Self Improvement, Life Lessons, Advice, Life

Your 2 Percent

What 98 Percent Won’t Practice

Image by Brenda Geisse from Pixabay

From middle school through my mid-forties, I was a professional classical musician. During the journey, I learned several lessons that apply to any career and creative endeavor you may choose to undertake. I’ll share with you the following:

Your 2 Percent

My last flute teacher was Julius Baker, the former principal flutist of the New York Philharmonic. It would be an understatement to say that it was an honor to study with him. The best lesson he taught me was:

“Practice the 2 percent you don’t know.”

He explained that out of all the flutists who went to study with him, he could predict which parts of pieces they would stumble on, either by playing wrong notes or rhythms. He said, “You have to find the two percent you don’t know, and then practice it until you get it right because 98 percent of people won’t do it. They’ll keep stumbling over the same notes, and continue to play what they love playing because it’s easy.”

Think about the two percent in your own life. What are you avoiding in practice, what are you stumbling on, and what are you continuing to do because it’s easy?

The rooms are small, then become larger

During many years of studying music, this is what I learned: the first rooms that you study in, and take your lessons in, are small. If your first music teacher isn’t coming to your parent’s house, you’re going to visit the teacher in a small studio. If you’re lucky, the studio’s room has a small upright piano for accompaniment, and hopefully, the piano plays in tune.

Then you work with your teacher, and if the teacher is ambitious, you’ll be encouraged to start auditioning for various music groups and ensembles. Perhaps you’ll be encouraged to hold recitals.

Every step at this point is a beginning step, but over time and circumstance, the steps become bigger. You’ll leave your first teacher and progress to auditioning and studying with teachers that are professional musicians.

At this point, the rooms and the stages become bigger. You’ll walk into a professional musician’s studio, and it will have a grand piano that plays in tune and is maintained by a professional piano tuner. The artwork on the studio walls will also be different. You’ll see oil paintings instead of framed prints.

The only thing that remains constant is the moment you take out your instrument and then asked what you’ll be playing. You’ll have five to ten minutes to demonstrate what you’re able to do, and the professional will assess whether or not they want to work with you.

However, moving from the small rooms to the bigger ones requires the hours of practice you’ve done behind the scenes when no one is watching, and no one is listening. Those are the moments that separate the 2 percent from the 98 percent; the times you are honing your craft instead of binge-watching Netflix programs.

I didn’t show up to play for the principal flutist of the New York Philharmonic unprepared. I showed up through a professional introduction, and after multiple hours of practicing and performing.

Be willing to get on an airplane

By complete luck, I was born in New York City, a central hub for arts and music. However, one of the greatest flutists at the time was Jean Pierre Rampal, who lived in France.

I did not have the fortune of meeting or studying with Mr. Rampal, although I attended several of his performances at Lincoln Center. I discovered that one of Mr. Rampal’s students, a prominent musician in his own right, was going to teach a class in Italy that summer.

I decided to apply to the class and bought an airplane ticket to Italy. I had no idea if I would be accepted, as the class was by audition only.

I thought, “Even if I don’t get accepted, I will have a vacation.”

I was the only American who showed up for the class. I auditioned and was accepted.

Three days later, I was studying with the Deutsche Grammophon recording artist, Patrick Gallois.

If you’re seeking out the best professional opportunities, you need to take calculated risks. Be willing to get on an airplane, to meet the professionals, and to be in the places where you can promote your talent.

To this day I’m still in contact with musicians I’ve met from years ago, who are lifelong friends.

Putting it together: Start with where you are

No one is born an expert, although, at an early age, you may be fortunate to discover a talent or two. My talents were reading, writing, and music. I was horrible at math and science. By the time I was in high school, it was evident that music was emerging as the strongest talent. Several of my teachers took interest in that talent and nurtured it.

Whether you are young, old, or advanced, seek out the best teachers who are your cheerleaders. Listen to their constructive advice. They’ve gone before you; they’ve done the work. They will also be honest with you if you are off track or heading in the wrong direction.

Before taking up the flute, I cycled through singing, playing the guitar, and playing the piano. Music was the overall draw, but it took a while to discover the flute was my instrument of choice.

Take the time to experiment with your talent and to discover its exact mode of expression. Then follow and develop your talent with all your heart and resources.

Remember your two percent and practice it well.