Efficient and organized practicing is a determining factor in a musician’s overall technical and musical progress on the instrument. Although this article mainly focuses on proper practicing techniques for string performers in classical music, any instrumentalist performing in diverse musical genres can also take advantage of this general practicing approach. Everyone has heard of the […]
Has your band or chamber music group ever picked up some new music, excited for a fresh challenge, just to give up after a couple rehearsals, grumbling that the music is just too hard? It’s not that you’re lazy—you’re trying to work things out—but you just don’t seem to be able to make any progress. […]
When sitting down to practice any instrument, it is important to first consider what you wish to get done during that practice session. Graham Fitch of practisingthepiano.com calls this, “The Pre-Practice Routine.”
Okay, it’s practice time and you are trying to decide what to work on today. You sit down at the piano but feel less than thrilled about running through the same piece you’ve been working on for weeks. So, what can you do to help improve the piece without actually playing the instrument? Graham Fitch […]
When practicing the piano, or any instrument for that matter, repetition is a common method used to further learn a piece of music. However, there are some ways in which this can hinder progress on a piece. Whenever you are using repetition to practice, you want to be sure you are using it in the most beneficial and productive way possible.
Sometimes, when preparing for an exam or performance, we can experience “bad motivation.” Playing for fun without having a hard deadline can be more productive than practicing for a recital or test.
We’ve all been there. You get home from a long day at work or a busy day running the kids around and just as you are about to sit down and put your feet up, your instrument is across the room staring you in the face. Should you practice? What are you going to practice? […]
In this case, practicing in public is a great way to increase your skill and comfort level. While this article may discuss a specific program of getting people to play in public, check out any programs in your area, or hey, just grab your instrument, sit down on a random street corner, and get playing!
Practice is incredibly important for success, but it’s not simply about how much time you practice, it’s about how you practice. After years of struggling with music, I started applying deliberate practice and other cognitive science learning approaches to French horn and became an international symphony pro after just two years of doing so. Before […]
Virtually every guitarist out there, famous or not, has experienced at some point the feeling that he needs to progress or that he is stuck in some routine. Learn how to make your practices more efficient.