At the rather advanced age of sixty-one I started to study the flute. To be able to enjoy an acceptable level for still a reasonable time I needed an efficient method. As it is, “the longer you live, the shorter it lasts”[1] ⁾

In my twenties I obtained a conservatory degree for classical guitar that provided me with a general theoretic and didactic background, but I always considered myself a sufferer from wrong practice habits and neuro-physical inhibitions that always stood in the way of effortlessly playing all the stuff I admired others for. I even have quit a musical career for it (having been a music teacher for about 15 years), resorting to a different profession and a practically hibernate musical amateur status.

With these mixed experiences I did a thorough research on fine motor skills and the functioning of the Nervous System in motor learning, which produced possibilities for more efficient and effective practising. I explored this vision while practising the flute and registered the resulting data while developing. First because it helped me a) to better structure my progress and b) by using another part of my brain to relate to the instrument. Later I thought this material could be as helpful for others as it was for me (I've never understood why in sports it is normal to include a scientific approach in training methods and not in the musical practice routine).

Also, as explained further on, once a skill is automatized and unconscious, it is very difficult to consciously remember in detail how you got there. And these details have to be investigated, subjected to a critical approach and supported by factual, and often scientific, knowledge from various disciplines. And the most recent, if it comes to that.

It also can’t be overlooked that the scientific theory could be compared to a long and very diverse practical movement experience, in sports, music and work, significantly deepening the insight.

So, as usual in research, I wrote down my findings and as it worked for me, I am convinced it may work for anyone who recognizes the questions on the title page or can fill in a few others.

[1] Jules Deelder, Dutch poet.