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Practice guide · for every musician

Building muscle memory is boring. Here's how to get through it

The repetitions matter. They are also repetitive. Learn the movement properly first, then let a podcast or audiobook play on the same device while GigClick keeps the click solid.

By Matt · GigClick developer and drummer

Clean repetitions24

Podcast playingSpeech, not music

Technique stays clean · attention can loosen

The part nobody sells

Knowing repetition matters does not make it interesting.

When I was a kid, in the dim, dark past, I did not understand why I should repeat the same pattern until it became automatic. Even if somebody had explained muscle memory to me perfectly, I am not sure it would have changed much. I avoided the work because the work was boring.

I understand the reason for it now. I still find it boring.

What has changed is how I get through it. Once I have learnt a movement properly, I will often keep the repetitions going while I watch sport, listen to a podcast or put on an audiobook. It makes a dull but useful part of practice much easier to sustain.

I do not need a second device to do that. A podcast or audiobook can keep playing on my phone while GigClick is running. GigClick is deliberately built not to surrender the click to competing media, so both can run together without the metronome losing its place.

I also find that it tells me something useful. If the pattern stays clean while my conscious attention is elsewhere, it is beginning to become automatic. If it falls apart as soon as I follow the conversation, it still needs more attention.

Do not distract yourself from learning the movement. Distract yourself from the boredom once the movement is right.

Repetition is not a character test

Accept that useful practice can still be tedious.

“Muscle memory” is a convenient name for a movement becoming familiar enough that it needs less conscious control. The muscles do not remember on their own; your nervous system becomes better at organising the movement.

Why one good repetition is not enough

A correct attempt proves that you can perform the movement. Repetition makes that particular solution easier to find again. For a drummer it might be a sticking or foot pattern. For another musician it could be a fingering, chord change, bow movement or articulation.

Unfortunately, the point where you understand a movement often arrives well before the point where you can perform it reliably. The remaining work is not intellectually difficult. You know what to do. You simply need more correct repetitions than your brain finds interesting.

Full attention comes first

Earn the right to put something else on.

A podcast cannot tell whether you are gripping too hard, missing the transition or repeating the wrong fingering. Before attention moves elsewhere, the technique needs to be understood and repeatable.

My switch-over test

  1. 01

    Learn the mechanics without entertainment. Decide what the movement, timing and sound should be. Use a mirror, recording or teacher’s feedback if that helps.

  2. 02

    Slow it down. Give yourself enough time to notice tension, preparation and every awkward transition. The slow-practice guide goes further into this stage.

  3. 03

    Repeat it cleanly. Look for several matching repetitions, not one successful rescue.

  4. 04

    Remove some attention. Only now start the match, podcast or audiobook—and listen closely to what happens to the playing.

Leave the rhythm alone

Choose something that does not compete with the music.

Not every distraction is equally useful. I want enough interest to reduce the boredom, without another rhythm pulling against the click or masking what I need to hear.

Put onWorks whenWatch for
PodcastThe pattern is already familiarComplex discussion taking too much attention
AudiobookYou can hear your timing and sound clearlyHeadphones masking the instrument or click
SportYou no longer need to watch your techniqueStopping every time something happens
MusicBest left off for this jobA second pulse competing with the one you are practising

One device. Both keep running.

Start the podcast or audiobook, then run GigClick alongside it. GigClick does not request audio focus, so spoken audio can continue playing while the click keeps time. The metronome does not duck, pause or drift when the other media is running.

Why I avoid music

Music is not neutral background sound. It has its own pulse, subdivisions, accents and changes. Even when I think I am ignoring it, it can pull the timing around or make it harder to hear whether my pattern is even.

Speech can still be distracting, but it is less likely to present a continuous musical pulse. Research on tapping with a metronome has also found that musical distractors disrupt synchronisation more than speech does. That supports the practical rule, although it does not mean every podcast is harmless.

Research: Music and speech distractors disrupt sensorimotor synchronisation.

Automatic does not mean unattended

Bring your attention back before quality drifts.

The second activity is both a way through the boredom and a rough test of automaticity. It is not proof that every repetition is good. I still need to check.

A simple audit loop

  1. 01

    Start focused. Establish the technique and sound you want before the distraction begins.

  2. 02

    Let attention move. Continue the clean repetitions while following the spoken programme or match.

  3. 03

    Check back regularly. Give the playing your full attention for a few repetitions. Listen and feel, rather than assuming.

  4. 04

    Reset when needed. Pause the distraction, lower the tempo or isolate the movement if the quality has changed.

A session you might actually do

Twenty minutes of useful repetition

The exact times do not matter. The order does: attention first, repetition second, a final honest check.

  1. 5 minLearn and establishFull attention; slow enough to make every repetition agree
  2. 12 minKeep it movingPodcast, audiobook or sport; no background music
  3. 3 minRemove the distractionCheck timing, sound and technique; finish with clean repetitions

Make the repetition easier to return to

The best practice method is one you will keep using.

Put on a podcast or audiobook, open GigClick on the same device and keep practising. GigClick keeps the click and tempo changes running solidly alongside the spoken audio, so you can make the repetitions easier to tolerate without giving up the metronome.

Coming soon to Google Play