THOUGHTS ON PRACTICING

 Thoughts on practicing

Most musicians have taken music lessons at some point, although some are self taught and have learned by just listening to records (which is a great way to learn as well). I am from the former school of learning; classical guitar lessons along with formal training at music college.  Teachers and others talk about the importance of practicing; that we need to do it, that it's essential for us if we want to get better.  But not many teachers actually talk about HOW to practice or give lessons on what to actually do when we practice.  

When I was younger, my idea of "practicing". was just play the same piece over and over again until I would get it right, sometimes with a metronome and sometimes without.  If found that a lot of times I would end up making small mistakes when I would perform.  A lot of this I've discovered, has to do with THE WAY I was practicing.  The problem with this approach is that you aren't really engaging your logical mind when you're practicing; your mind can wander and you can waste a lot of time just going over the same exercises or pieces again and again and again.  

What I eventually experienced was burn out around 20.  I had made it down to Berklee College of Music and was in my second year of the school when I hit a brick wall.  I burned out at 20 lol!   Things were so intense, competitive and I was practicing hours and hours a day.  What I've come to realize is that teachers also don't always know how to give students a grounded strategy for practicing so they are better prepared to perform.  So here are a few tips I have started to develop when practicing or learning new pieces that seems to help me.

1). Get familiar with the melody and harmony

Step back and listen to a recording of the piece first.  This way you get an overview of how the piece or song goes before you delve into sight reading the chart.  Try humming the melody or hear the structure go by in your mind.  Sometimes thinking in sections helps (ABA etc) and making mental notes helps remember the form

2). Try see the bigger picture

See the sections of the piece as small pieces of a puzzle but also see how the pieces fit together to make sense.  Try to understand what the composer was after; what mood or energy they were trying to convey.  Engage your imagination and try to come up with images or colours that the music might represent.

3). Practice Slowly and make a mind map

Practice the music slowly, making mental notes of difficult parts or parts that are not predictable. Making mental notes, gives you a road map so you're not just going to wing the difficult parts and so you have a strategy on how you're going to get through the more difficult passages

4). Look out for patterns

Look for any noticeable patterns, either melodic or rhythmic patters.  Most music also uses some sort of chordal pattern as well, so make a mental note of this as well.

5). Practice sections

Choose 4 bars at a time and just get comfortable with this much,  repeating the section many times and then moving to another section. 

6). Just practice difficult runs or sections

Be specific about the parts that you find challenging and just work those sections.

7). Choose a number

Choose a number for the number of times you will repeat a section that is difficult.

8). Practice with varying tempos

Practice slowly at first and then begin to increase the speed, maybe increasing the metronome by just one or two clicks.  At some point play the piece faster than it's supposed to be played so you feel more relaxed when playing at the regular tempo.

9). Set a timer

Set a timer either for the entire practice or for the specific goals you have.  If you practice a difficult piece for exactly 10 minutes, you will find you will be more productive in those 10 minutes..some sort of psychological pressure

10) Be goal oriented

Be very specific with what it is you want to achieve when you sit down.  Playing music can be enjoyable and practicing should be fun, but to make good use of your time, it's best to set clear goals for what you want to achieve

11). Take breaks

Yes taking a short break while you practice is ok,  sometimes stepping back from what seems a difficult piece and going over something you are more familiar, gives your brain a chance to digest what you are trying to learn.  Then when you come back to the difficult piece, it's sometimes seems a bit easier. 

12). Breath

Breathing is so important and wind players know this the best.  As a guitar player we seldom think of breathing in between a phrase but it's so important to engage the breath; t keeps us grounded and relaxed and this comes through in the music.  

13). Practice to perform

Envision yourself playing the music in front of an audience.  How does it feel and how do you want the music to sound.  It's easy to get caught up in our heads and forget that music is supposed to be shared with people and is a great communicator.  Becoming a great musicians also means becoming a better communicator of your ideas, both musically and otherwise

14). Keep A Journal

Keep a journal and record what you're currently working on and what you are trying to improve on.  This will help keep you in check and help you achieve your musical goals that much faster

15). Play the song in your mind

Sounds a bit strange but see if you can hear the song in your mind.  You could either picture yourself actually playing the song or perhaps just hum the song, or visualize the chords going by

That's it for now..now to follow my own advice:)

Let me know what you think and please

add in some comments or suggestions for 

what has worked for you

cheers

Mike