The Wave Method for Irregular Creative Practitioners

When the forced march is not your style

I was 10 years old, enduring 15 minutes of daily piano practice imposed by my mother. A wood-encased metronome with brass fittings ticked relentlessly atop the piano. I can hear its distinct click to this day: the needle swinging back and forth, loud and precise, its pace dictated by a manually set tempo, ranging from breathless allegro to the molasses …