Although the phrase “Don’t Give Up” is a common thing to say I’ve been thinking about it a lot over the past few days.  When playing any musical instrument you will come across challenges that seem insurmountable.  It seems that no matter what you try, no matter what teachers may say, no matter what books you may read you just can not overcome the problem.  When in these situations the last thing you should do is abandon the challenge.  Advice like this seems obvious, but the simple fact is that most people, after a certain amount of time, will move past the problem area without ever truly working it out.  I myself have been guilty of this in the past.  Telling yourself that the problem is fixed, when you know deep down that it is not, only delays your progress.  Remember, when you encounter a challenge, work on it until it is completely eliminated, no matter how long it takes.  Don’t give up!