I spent the past couple weeks recording for a competition.

Recording yourself is a fascinating psychological experiment.

Day 1 – “That sounds terrible.”
Day 2 – “Hmm… that’s not so bad.”
Day 3 – “Well… I guess it’s OK.”
Day 4 – “That’s actually pretty good.”

And then six months later you hear the same recording and think:

“Who’s playing that? It’s fabulous.” 😅

Somehow the recording hasn’t changed.

But your ears have.

When you first listen back, you hear everything you intended to do but didn’t quite pull off. Every wrong note feels magnified.
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And in a way, that’s exactly what your brain is supposed to do.
When you’re practicing, your job is to hunt for problems. You’re listening for every uneven note, every place that still needs work and that mindset often carries over when you listen to a recording.

The downside is that your ear can get stuck in “mistake-detecting mode.”
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​That’s why after every practice session I recommend writing down three things that went well.​
It trains your ear to notice progress, not just problems.
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But if you keep listening to the same recording, something interesting happens.

Your ear gradually shifts out of problem-hunting mode.

After a few listens, something shifts.
Your emotional reaction fades and your musical ear takes over.

And suddenly you can hear the music again. 😌

That’s one of the reasons recording yourself is one of the most powerful practice tools you have.

Not because it proves what’s wrong.

But because it slowly reveals what’s really there.

And most of the time, what’s actually there is much better than you thought.
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🎼 A tiny practice experiment for you:​
​Record one short passage you're working on. (Keep it simple and use your phone. 📱)
🎧 Listen once right away, that's the emotional reaction.
🎧 Then listen again the next day, that's the musical reaction.
🎶 Note if you hear a difference. ​
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​🎙️ Recording yourself is uncomfortable… but it might be the most honest teacher you have.

Stay tuned for my competition recordings. 🎥
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I’ll try to appreciate them enough to share… before six months pass. 😅

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​Play On,
Lisa Spector
Piano Practice Strategist
Founder, Piano Ninja Tricksters Club​