Uplevelling you Music Skills
Uplevelling Your Skills
There comes a point in music where doing what you’ve always done… just isn’t enough anymore.
Not because you’re not good.
Not because you’ve failed.
But because you’ve grown.
Uplevelling your skills isn’t always exciting.
It doesn’t always look like big breakthroughs or sudden talent.
Most of the time it looks like:
going back to basics
tightening things you used to get away with
realising where your gaps actually are
and sitting in the discomfort of not feeling as good as you once did
That’s the part no one really talks about.
You can be a confident performer…
and still feel like a beginner again when you decide to get better.
For me, it’s been in the small things.
Like incorporating a new chord.
At first it feels clunky.
You have to think about it.
You might avoid it because it interrupts your flow.
But you keep coming back to it.
You slow it down.
You work it into songs.
Until one day… it’s just there.
You’re not thinking about it anymore.
It’s part of your playing.
That’s uplevelling.
It’s also been in the bigger leaps.
Joining a band.
Picking up electric guitar.
Standing through full 3 hour shows instead of the comfort of sitting with an acoustic.
None of that felt natural at first.
It pushed me out of my comfort zone in a way that was uncomfortable… but necessary.
Because growth doesn’t happen in the space where everything already feels easy.
For me, it’s also been noticing things I used to ignore.
Pitch that could be cleaner.
Timing that could be tighter.
Transitions that could feel more natural.
The difference between “good enough for a gig” and “actually refined.”
And that’s a confronting place to sit.
Because once you hear it… you can’t unhear it.
Uplevelling asks something different of you.
It asks for intention.
It asks for patience.
It asks you to slow down and actually practice, not just perform.
And if you’re anything like me, that can feel frustrating.
Because performing is the fun part.
It’s where you feel confident.
It’s where you feel like yourself.
Practice is where you feel exposed.
But this is where the shift happens.
Not in the moments where everything flows…
but in the moments where you choose to stay with something that isn’t quite right yet.
There’s also a balance to it.
Because getting better doesn’t mean becoming rigid.
It doesn’t mean overthinking every note or losing the feel that made people connect with your music in the first place.
It’s learning how to refine your skill
without disconnecting from your instinct.
It’s learning how to be both:
technically aware
and emotionally present
That’s the real uplevel.
Not perfection.
Not pressure.
Just a deeper level of awareness…
and the willingness to meet yourself there.
If you’re in that phase where things feel a bit uncomfortable, a bit exposed, a bit “not quite there yet”…
You’re probably right where you need to be.
Because uplevelling isn’t about proving anything.
It’s about becoming more honest in your craft.
Keep showing up,
Brandy xx