Practice Tips

     This is a list that I gave to my students at one of our weekly Studio Classes last semester.  It was partly an outline for the discussion we had, and partly a list that they could refer to as a reminder during their practice time.  In many cases, each of these items could serve as the basis for a separate blog post--and I may discuss many of them in greater detail in the future--but here they are all together!  We can all use reminders of these things occasionally.  I've only given credit on a couple items, but very few of these ideas are original.  

     If you're a student, I encourage you to read the list slowly, and let each item really sink in - some of them have HUGE implications.  If you want further clarification on anything, please ask.  Happy practicing!

Get a good warm-up – consistent daily routine

Consistency is the key to consistency.  You cannot cram for a lesson or performance.

What is “Deliberate Practice”?

Quality over Quantity

Practice with your brain switched on all the time

You should be drained mentally and physically

Form deteriorates with fatigue – bad habits can creep in

30-45 minutes in a session, maybe an hour

-2 or 3 smaller sessions a day are much better than 1 huge session

Practice efficiently – don’t waste your time

Listen to your body – take breaks, esp. during warm-up

Have a plan – for the hour, day, week, etc.

Schedule your practice time, and stick to it!

Prioritize practice (Beware of Marching Band!)

If you always sound good in a practice room, then you’re practicing the wrong things.

“Failure” is where it starts – it’s an opportunity to improve

Difference between “learning” and “practicing” – Farkas

-You only start “practicing” a passage when you can play it correctly

Use a metronome and tuner

-train your ears & rhythm – don’t become dependent on the tools

Use a pencil

Make a decision, then mark it - you can change your mind later.

Take notes during lessons and practice – keep a notebook/log/journal

You have to have the ideal performance in your mind with crystal clarity, then listen intently to compare what you’re playing to that.

-"You must sing all the music in your imagination, as you play, with such intensity, conviction and energy that the little that "leaks" out into the music as it is heard will ravish the listener." - Keith Hill and Marianne Ploger (www.musicalratio.com)

-Listen to great players for tone and technique.

-Listen to a recording of your piece over and over

Record yourself

Get outside opinions

Be hard on yourself, but also patient with yourself

Be your own worst critic, and your own biggest fan!

Go sloooooooooooooow!

Play it right many more times than you play it wrong

Do whatever you have to in order to have success (i.e. play something "perfectly") then build on that foundation (add notes, get faster, etc.)

Practice small chunks

Keep score – penny game

Balance detail work with “continuity” work

Break it down, build it up (out of context, then work it back in)

Use a good airstream always!

Invent abstract exercises to overcome obstacles

Practice extremes – play it even faster, higher, louder, etc.

Resources

Books: Practiceopedia and The Practice Revolution by P. Johnston

            The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle

            Talent is Never Enough by John Maxwell

            The Art of Practicing by Madeline Bruser

Web: http://www.essential-music-practice.com/

         http://www.insidemusicteaching.com/  (by Philip Johnston)           

         http://www.practicespot.com/home.php (by Philip Johnston)

         http://www.howtopractice.com/

         http://www.howtopractice.com/content/50-websites-will-improve-your-music-practice

         http://www.usma.edu/band/Resources/practice.htm
         “The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance” (article by K. Anders Ericsson, Ralf Th. Krampe, and Clemens Tesch-Romer) available as a PDF download at: http://projects.ict.usc.edu/itw/gel/EricssonDeliberatePracticePR93.pdf