Practice Tips

The hardest part about practicing is to first establish a consistent habit.  In our fast-paced world this may sound daunting, but consider the ideas below to start your routine:

1- Practice at a specific time of day, when you're always available.  If you have trouble finding a consistent time of day, try practicing after a consistent event of the day - when you wake, when arrive home from work or school, before / after you eat dinner.  

2- Practice when you're the most alert.  Learning to play and instrument takes focus, dedication and a willingness to experiment, fail and repeat as needed until you succeed.  You may find that it's easier to make progress if you're working at a time of day where you are at your optimum potential  If you're a morning person, find a time in your am routine.  If you do better mid-day, establish a "break time" that will work for practice.  Or, if you're more alert in the evening, schedule a time before a favorite TV show, or give yourself a treat after a routine task like doing the dishes or cleaning up the house.

3- Once you find the best time of the day for you, don't stop for at least 1-2 months.  If you miss a day, get right back on your schedule the next day.  Make practicing a priority, and you'll be amazed at the playing goals that you'll be able to achieve.  

Although the length of a practice session can result in achieving one's goals more easily, it doesn't guarantee it.  A quality practice session includes attention to detail and focus on difficult or problem areas, not just a "play-though" of the work in question.  If your time is limited, this may mean practicing different parts of your assignment throughout the week, in short quantities.  It may mean that not everything on your assignment list is accomplished every day, but in some sort of established rotation throughout the week.

Setting a goal for a specific amount of time to practice isn't a bad thing to do, but don't be limited by this...if you need more time, take more time.  If you can't find the amount of time you'd like to practice (usually approximately the length of your lesson each day), then find SOME time.  Fifteen minutes consistently each day throughout a week is far better for achieving progress than two hours one day out of seven.  You are building a skill when learning an instrument, and that demands consistent work over cramming the work in on just a few days.  We retain our learning more deeply and effectively if we consistently practice throughout the week.

Have you ever wondered why you can "play something perfectly" at home, but then with the added pressure of a lesson, it all falls apart?  If you think back about your practicing during the week, how many times did you play the passage incorrectly, before you achieved the correct goal?  Did you then repeat it correctly multiple times, or were you inconsistent, practicing in errors during many repetitions?  

The old adage "practice makes perfect" discards the possibility for practicing in errors due to a lack of focus or patience to practice correctly. If you are practicing in errors, you are "perfectly practicing" imperfection. 

Work slowly to ensure that you are practicing correct notes, rhythms, dynamics, etc.  Practicing a passage correctly first, with multiple follow-up correct repetitions, will ensure more lasting learning and ultimately allow for quicker progress to be made.

Consider a new adage: 

"Practice Make Permanent!"