By Robert Boer, Director and Teacher of Piano and Music Theory at musictutoronline.com
Incorporate these practice tips for musicians into your daily practice routine, and you will soon see the benefits.
Create a comfortable space. This seems too obvious. Not only will you be far less likely to succumb to all sorts of distractions by entering a designated practice area. Whether it's a separate room or just a corner of the living room, it will help prepare you mentally for this very particular kind of work. Mindful intention is everything, and having the ritual of going to the same place every time can help set that intention.
Warm-Up. I love little exercises, such as stretching or breathing exercises. They help your body and mind prepare for the practice session. Simple, right? But those little things are easy to forget and can make a huge difference. You could start with scales as a warm-up to loosen up your muscles and get your brain thinking about technique.
Have a goal for each practice session before you start practicing. There are countless things you must do, correct, and improve to master a piece of music. But you can't do it all in one day. Choose only a few goals you can accomplish in your allotted practice time. One or two goals might be enough if you have only thirty minutes. If you have two hours, you can choose more. But be specific and realistic.
Don't just play passages over and over. Decide on a particular thing you want to do that day and do it. Don't meander. Don't practice things you can already do. Focus on achieving specific improvements in the song for that day.
Identify and overcome problems. Have trouble with two very tricky measures? Set your timer for a short period (like five or 10 minutes), and then work just on one problem in as many ways as you can — break it down into even smaller and more manageable bits, go super slow, change the rhythm, whatever. If that trouble spot is still giving you agita, then make yourself a mental note to come back to that section again tomorrow. Chances are it will be much, much easier the next time around. Don't always start at the beginning every time. Remember about maximizing your time and your willpower? It can feel terrific to hear yourself playing the beginning of a piece beautifully, but you may wind up wasting the limited time and energy you have. (Also, it leads to performances that start strong and then, well, wilt.)
Always make music — never play just the notes. Even if you play scales, imagine they are part of a beautiful piece of music and play as musically as you can. Observe all the dynamic, mood, and tempo markings, and always create the most beautiful music you possibly can. Especially if you're trying to wrestle down an element that you find problematic, scientific researchers say that if you add a musical challenge to the difficult task, your brain is likely to start carving out new neural pathways.
Write on your music sheet. Sounds simple and even silly? So many musicians don't write on their sheet music, but why not? Mark spots where you forget to do something, where you always use the wrong finger, forget to take a deep breath, or fail to make a crescendo, etc. Writing on your music helps your brain improve faster by adding the visual element of learning.
Record yourself. Technology can be a fantastic aid. It is one of the best tools to improve yourself. Try it. It works. Other helpful technology tools are having a metronome app, a tuner app, and a timer app on your devices. These are all tremendous essential tools for practicing.
Be in the right frame of mind — in positive ways — don't forget to reward yourself for good practice — and most important of all, have fun!
About the author
Robert Boer is a music educator with over 30 years of experience in the field of music education. He is the owner and director of MusicTutorOnline and teaches piano and music theory at MusicTutorOnline. After studying at the Conservatory of Music in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, his music education career took him all over the world, teaching students of all ages and backgrounds.
More writings by Robert Boer:
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