Classical music is hard, particularly Bach’s Inventions. Here’s 10 things I’m learning from working up his music again:

10. Contrapuntal music builds your independent hand motion like nothing else.

9. Precise fingering is the only way to speed up your playing.

8. Parallel motion in a song is difficult to pull off, but amazing to hear.

7. If you can play classical competently, you have the technical ability to play just about any other style of music.

6. Practicing Bach’s left hand arrangements make carrying a walking bass in jazz easy as pie.

5. Starting slow is the only way to combine hands accurately.

4. Precision 8th note runs scales challenge your weak fingers to improve.

3. Bach builds concentration better than any other music I’ve played.

2. Bach’s music is the most logical music I’ve ever played, and can feel almost sterile without proper phrasing.

1. I will never play classical music for a living, but it’s amazingly fun and challenging to play.

Check out a video of me playing Bach’s Invention No. 1: