The human brain is quite a piece of work.

As I wander along the road of musical learning I have found it interesting to observe the behaviour of the little grey cells between my ears.

Acquiring skill with a musical instrument is all about practice.

Quality practice.

Concentration is key.

Which brings me neatly along to the thing known to My Good Self as ‘The Voice’.

The Voice is the chatter that often goes on in my head as I practice. The Voice will sometimes say very sensible things to me, things like ‘you’re going well here’ or ‘try to avoid a mistake there’.

Or it might start wondering when my next visit to The Great Institution of Chatham Street will take place.

The Voice has a wide repertoire when it comes to topics of conversation.

All of which have the probability of a break in concentration and lead inevitably to a mistake.

The brain remembers mistakes.

And so, on it goes. Eradicating mistakes. Musical learning is, in a sense, a battle with oneself. A challenge to instil good learning habits and rituals.

I have not yet mastered this art.

The fact that I am very often three and a half sheets to the wind as I play may or may not be a factor in this equation.

The jury is still out.