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Evergreen School of Music - Practicing Tips
Everyone
needs to practice and everyone who loves to play should love
to practice. But don't think that practicing means just playing
things through. Getting into a few good habits will make you
improve much more quickly. By using good practice methods
you can learn twice as much in half the time, and your pieces
will sound better, too.
Each
person learns in a unique way. Because of your experience,
background and abilities you will learn in a different way
from another person. Here are some tips that over the years
of teaching we have found can help you get the most out of
your practice sessions.
1.
Keep your instrument and music out and available at all
times. This way if you only have 15 minutes then you can
sit down and practice without taking too much time to get
everything together. Also having your instrument and music
in your sight reminds you to pick it up, or take a seat and
practice.
2.
Practice for at least 30 minutes every day. You can
break this into two 15-minute practice sessions if time is
short. However by keeping with a regular practice schedule
you are conditioning yourself to remember your music. Even
subconsciously as we think about our music during the day,
it becomes part of our memory.
3.
Warm up with scales. It makes it much easier to play
if you have warmed up for a few minutes before launching into
your music. Warming up also helps to prepare your mind and
body for playing.
4.
Divide your music up into small sections and practice each
section until it is good. Then combine two small sections
to make a larger section. Practice this until it sounds good
and keep combining sections until you play the whole piece.
5.
Write down questions for your teacher. Use a notebook
to make notes on questions you might. This way when you take
your lessons you can refer to these notes and ask your teacher
to address them.
6.
Practicing with a metronome. Start with the metronome
at a fairly slow tempo. Play the passage at this temp until
you can do it perfectly and stay exactly with the metronome.
Then move the metronome up a notch and repeat the process.
Keep doing this until you reach the temp you should be playing
the piece. The advantage of using a metronome is that it strengthens
memory, technique and keeps you honest - you can't fool the
metronome. If you are playing the wrong rhythm or can't keep
a steady tempo you will know right away.
7.
Do it right the first time. Always aim for correct
notes, sound and musical expression. If you get it right the
first time it is much easier.
Psychologists
say that a 'stimulus' enters long-term memory after it has
been attentively observed 7 times. But an 'incorrect' stimulus
takes 35 repetitions to learn the 'corrected' way. It is 5
TIMES easier to get it right the first time than to re-learn
the piece.
8.
Try to understand the music. Apply the things
you have learned in your music lessons and everything you
know about music to the pieces you play. Look for the key,
scales, chords, patterns, repeated sections, the form, phrases,
accompaniment patterns, and rhythmic patterns--everything
you can find. If you understand the music, you will learn
it faster, remember it better, and play it more musically.
Keep a pencil close to hand and write these things in the
music as you find them.
Psychologists who study learning say: "Analyzing the
meaning of something helps you remember it longer."
MOST OF ALL ENJOY LEARNING. Don't beat yourself up
if you come across a difficult piece, it has happened to us
all. We are all still learning. We are just at different places
on the learning curve. Enjoy the journey and see how far you
have already come!
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