Comments on: Ten Killer Tactics for Developing a New Skill

By: Jason

Jason — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 00:35:53 +0000

Trent, check out strobist for off camera lighting…you may not need as much post processing skill if you can control the lighting during the shoot. They also have a very active flickr group.

By: Beth

Beth — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 16:25:59 +0000

Trent – I’ve been teaching piano lessons for over 10 years, and the very best book I’ve found for adults (or older kids) is called “67 Fun Songs” by a pianist named Jon Schmidt. The book is available at http://www.jonschmidt.com for about $16 and includes a 10-week program for learning to actually read music, rather than using finger numbers and hand positions to play the songs presented.

You can also download just the note-reading section for a small fee.

Good luck! I’m a big believer that piano can be self-taught, particularly for the purposes you’ve outlined.

By: Jordan

Jordan — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 16:08:17 +0000

Trent–
Killer post. It’s funny that you put this up just as I settled on a plan for becoming fluent with the scales on the guitar. The idea of technique before accuracy is right on, and I plan to use that approach this time around. I’ll let you know how it goes.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:38:51 +0000

Hey Trent,

I’m an amateur photog and I really enjoy this blog for food photography info: http://www.foodportfolio.com/blog/

By: clevelis

clevelis — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 13:51:31 +0000

I would really love it if you keep us abreast of your learning new skills. I just started with guitar lessons. Right now I suck pretty bad but I’m learning to enjoy it even if it’s not something I’ll pick that easily like photography. Please keep us posted on how it’s going.

By: Lois

Lois — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 13:11:05 +0000

A great resource for learning to write fiction is a book by Stephen King titled “On Writing.” The first third of it is an engaging autobiographical account of how he developed in his love and skill for writing. The rest of the book is valuable insight and technical coaching that you’ll want to highlight and re-read. I hope you check it out!

By: Daniel E. Friedman

Daniel E. Friedman — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 10:49:34 +0000

I like your piano goals. Remember to be patient, as your ultimate goal as a church fill-in pianist is desirable, yet ambitious. It takes time for the ‘language of music’ to become fluent in a student musician. Enjoy the ride.

By: Rob

Rob — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 05:01:38 +0000

Great post. Since you mentioned it’s better to get the best info possible, I wanted to suggest that in some cases it’s better to start off with some professional help.

I’m referring specifically to your piano lessons. Being a music educator myself, it’s usually better to start off with a teacher so you don’t get into any bad habits from the beginning (sometimes these can take forever to fix). Learning from a teacher may also cut your learning curve considerably since they may be more focused and know what not to practice.

Some skills need instruction that just can’t be learned from a book. After a year or so you should have a grasp of the fundamentals then decide from there.

I wrote an article on the merits of a music education in my most recent post.

By: Dave

Dave — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 00:27:31 +0000

Trent,

In your “30 Essential Pieces Of Free (and Open) Software for Windows” post, you wrote the following, with regards to using GIMPShop:

“I see no reason to ever go back, even if Photoshop were free.”

As someone who has a book explaining Photoshop on my shelf, and GIMP installed on my PC, but no PShop (guilty about downloading it for free, and don’t want to shell out the cash either), could you explain the decision process you used to go back to Photoshop?

Thanks,

DSW II

By: Dan

Dan — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 20:23:03 +0000

With regards to short fiction, you might try extreme word limits. Expand a 10 word story into a 50 word story. Then shrink it down to 10 words again. Then blimp it to 1000 words, and reduce to 500.

For me, limiting word length is great practice for revising (from big to small) as you force yourself to be succinct. Never delete though, copy and paste into a different document. Use that stuff to springboard into new (but different) writing.

People who grow bonsai do the same thing–I think it’s called air-layering. You remove a small part of the tree (through a careful process) and you can regrow it in a new pot.

By: Mike Sty

Mike Sty — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 19:05:50 +0000

Great post. As a busy Freshman engineering student, it’s hard to find time to develop “skills”, so I’ve been trying to expand on things in the classroom to be more proficient at. I’ve found it’s more important to strengthen what you know than it is to try and touch on something new sometimes.

For keeping schedule of regular practice things, try JoesGoals.com – I’ve been using it for a while now to try and keep track of various positive AND negative habits. You can easily create a goal like “30min Photoshop Practice.” It’s dorky, but really effective. It has helped me to begin building a workout habit.

By: Dividends4Life

Dividends4Life — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 18:48:01 +0000

Inspiring read! The key is to limit the number of new skills until sufficient progress can be made or you may run into the “Jack of all trade, but master of none” syndrome.

Best Wishes,
D4L

By: Todd

Todd — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 18:21:48 +0000

#7 IS the kicker, BUT, much easier than before (the internet). My favorite way to accomplish #7 is to find an online community devoted to the skill I’m trying to acquire (guitar playing, web site design, etc.). I’ve been surprised time after time by the level of help and cooperation I’ve seen/received in some forums. Not to mention, the time-shifting you can do online, since lots of forums have responders/contributors from all around the world.

By: The Weakonomist

The Weakonomist — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 18:07:15 +0000

#7 is the kicker. You have to share what you are learning. Getting feedback and support is what really inspires someone to take it to the next level.

I would like to learn photoshop someday, but its not high on my list right now.

By: Vered@MomGrind

Vered@MomGrind — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 16:59:51 +0000

My goal was to learn how to ski… done. My new goal is to advance from blue runs to black runs. I think that all the steps you mentioned come into play, but most of all I can relate with “just do it”. And believing in yourself.

By: j

Sun, 06 Apr 2008 15:55:41 +0000

thanks for the step-by-step
i’m always interested in how other people learn & do

By: Andy

Andy — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 14:36:31 +0000

Great post. I think another important aspect of setting goals is usually creating goals that you can control. At least for my blog, I try not to set goals based on readership or visits and things, but rather post frequency, quality of posts, or time input. At the same time I don’t want to dismiss all goals that rely on others, but it is easier to get started I think with things you can control.