I've been thinking about how most musicians track improvement.
We say things like "I feel like I'm getting better" or "that sounded okay" but rarely have concrete numbers.
Professional athletes have stats. Runners know their mile time. Lifters track their 1RM. But musicians?
I started tracking two specific metrics on recordings:
- **% of notes in the correct key** (pitch accuracy)
- **% of notes landing on beat** (timing accuracy)
It was humbling. I thought I was solid, then saw I was drifting flat on high notes 30% of the time. My timing rushed by 50ms on every chorus.
Now when I practice, I have a baseline to beat to keep me in time. "Last week: 74% in-key on chorus. Goal: 85%."
**Question for the sub:** How do you measure your progress? Is it just feeling, or do you track anything specific?
Would love to hear how others approach this.
Submitted December 05, 2025 at 01:05AM by longbongsilvr https://www.reddit.com/r/Learnmusic/comments/1pelc9h/how_do_you_objectively_measure_your_own_progress/?utm_source=ifttt
Javier Rodriguez
Thursday, December 4, 2025