Whenever we learn something, whatever it may be, we learn in segments. Truthfully, there is no exception to this. As big as any learning task my seem, it must start somewhere. It's certainly practical and helpful to look at the bigger picture, but you simply cannot digest it all at once. We are only able to "chew" one piece at a time.

That being said, the person who can readily accept that fact and is willing to place his or her focus entirely on each little "chew" is likely to ensure that it will be digested (understood) and accomplished a whole lot more efficiently. Would you agree? Just try to "chew it all at once" and what happens? The details that otherwise would have been well taken care of via the first approach would likely be overlooked.

There is no question about it... when you adopt the right "learning mind set," anything is possible. It has often been said: "Learning how to learn is life's most important skill."

During my 30+ years of coaching people on piano, there is one approach with them that has NEVER failed, regardless of what they were trying to accomplish - whether it's been learning a new scale, a chord progression, a challenging reading passage, a line of improvisation, or a new song. 

This method has always met with success.