Struggling to Practice? Here’s How to Regain Your Motivation.
No matter how passionate you are about playing the violin, there are always days when practicing feels impossible (sadly). Maybe you haven’t seen progress in a while, or maybe you’ve been drilling the same passage so long that even your metronome looks like it’s losing patience.
Whatever the reason, don’t panic—every musician, from beginners to professionals, runs into this wall at some point. The good news? Motivation is not some mystical force that appears out of thin air. It’s something you can rebuild, step by step, with the right strategies. Here are a few tried-and-true ways to find that spark again.
1. Attend a Live Concert (or Stream One Online)
Few things are as inspiring as watching musicians throw themselves into their craft with total focus and joy. Seeing that level of artistry up close reminds you what all your hours in the practice room are really aiming toward. It’s proof that the effort eventually blossoms into something greater than the notes themselves. If you can, go to a live concert—there’s nothing like the electricity in the air, the hush before the first note, and the applause that shakes the hall. That atmosphere can make you want to run home and pick up your violin immediately.
If attending in person isn’t an option, online concerts and competitions are still a goldmine. One of the most motivating exercises is to watch multiple performers interpret the same piece. Notice how differently they phrase, color, and shape the music. Some will make you gasp, some will make you curious, and others might even make you think, “I could try that too.” That comparison not only sharpens your ear but also rekindles your own creative urge to explore new possibilities on your instrument.
2. Switch Up Your Practice Routine
If your practice routine has settled into an unshakable pattern—scales, etudes, repertoire, repeat—it’s no surprise you feel uninspired. Routine builds discipline, but monotony slowly chips away at your energy. The trick is to refresh the way you approach the same material. For example, start your session with a lyrical passage instead of scales. Treat a difficult excerpt from your repertoire as if it were your “etude of the day” and really dissect it. Suddenly, what felt like drudgery transforms into a purposeful challenge.
Timing also matters. If you always practice after school or work, your brain may already be fried, and that fatigue disguises itself as “lack of motivation.” Try moving your practice to a different part of the day—like a short session in the morning, when your ears are sharper and your mind is uncluttered. Even small tweaks in the order or timing of practice can make the entire experience feel fresh, and freshness is the natural enemy of boredom. When you feel like your practice is alive again, motivation tends to follow.
3. Rotate Your Repertoire (and Sneak in Something New)
One of the quickest ways to kill enthusiasm is to hammer away at the same few pieces until you can play them in your sleep. When your ears start to glaze over, your progress often stalls too. Instead, rotate your repertoire. Try spreading your pieces across a two-day cycle so that you don’t face the same music every single day. On Day 1, focus on a couple of pieces in depth, and on Day 2, switch to others. This keeps everything in circulation while giving your brain and ears the freshness they crave.
Another powerful motivator is to introduce something new into your mix. Sight-read a piece you’ve always wanted to try, even if it’s outside your current level or from a completely different genre. That sense of discovery reignites curiosity, and sometimes the techniques or musical ideas you encounter in one piece unexpectedly solve problems in another. Plus, exploring new works reminds you of why you fell in love with music in the first place: the thrill of learning something new and hearing it come alive under your fingers.
Final Note:
Motivation isn’t something you passively wait for, like the weather clearing up. It’s something you actively create by shifting your perspective, seeking inspiration, and keeping your practice life fresh. Whether it’s the adrenaline of a live concert, a clever twist in your routine, or the excitement of trying new music, the spark is out there. The challenge, and the fun, is finding it and letting it carry you back to your violin with renewed energy.
