Theory and Practice

Implementing something that works but that you don't entirely understand is like finding a new chord that you don't know the name of yet. You have an intuition that it's a pleasant chord—it may work—but you might lack the ability to fully articulate or describe why. In a moment such as that, it's good to pause and consult the literature until you can fully articulate it.

There's a subtle, incredible difference between implementing a thing and understanding a thing. If you find a way to do something but move forward without fully understanding why it works, the only thing you carry forward is a mistaken understanding about it. Its usefulness remains only a happy accident.

Happy accidents are ok. They're sometimes useful if they're stepping stones on the way to greater learning.

Practicing music is a lot like that. But repetition can be a double-edged sword. For example, if you make a mistake but don't stop and correct it—and instead just continue playing—then you won't actually improve your understanding or ability to play the piece. Instead, you'll just get very good at making the mistake.