The hard way is the easy way
Sometimes the hard way to do something is the easy way.
I am a bad guitar player. But I’m also a very happy one. A friend told me long ago it was good to have something you suck at, but enjoy anyway. It’s a healthy reminder that fun doesn’t require skill.
I play guitar nearly every day, usually as a brief escape from writing. When I get stuck with a writing project I pick up the guitar and sing and play for a few minutes. It always feels good. Soon I feel inspired again to get back to work. But my skill level has remained in exactly the same place for years. I’m an advanced beginner, maybe.
Recently I learned how to play a proper F chord. I’d been doing a hacky version of an F chord for years, mainly because to do it right required more practice than I was willing to do.
I finally just decided I was fed up playing it the hacky way. I tried the hard way a week ago.
It turned out that trying to play it the hard way was actually much easier than the hacky way. It did take more attempts to learn play it the right way, but when I got it working, it felt and sounded much better than the hacky way. Plus playing it the right way makes it easier to learn other chords that use the same shape. Whereas the hacky way has no reuse at all. It’s just a hack.
The hard way required maybe 35% more upfront effort, but for its payoff it was easier to learn than the hacky way, which never really worked well.
Sometimes the hard way to do something is the easy way.
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