Easy, right?
Well, not if you don't have good practice routines already in place. Here are some practice tips:
- What are you practicing for? Knowing what your goal is will alter the way you practice.
I was practicing at the music school I teach at last week, and the vocal teacher asked if there was something I was practicing for. I told her I was doing 'maintenance practice' and re-familiarising myself with old repertoire. My current goal is to not lose chops and dexterity, and to make sure I am completely comfortable with repertoire that I may do with my upper high school students. Therefore, I was playing through (without working on) Koehler book 2 and Flute Music by French Composers. Both of these books I started in high school and used in my first couple of years of my bachelor, so they are old hat now. But by just playing through them, I am re-acquainting myself in order to be able to teach them. If I was doing a recital, however, my approach would be much more structured - identifying key areas of weakness and hitting them at a variety of angles until they became less fumbly under the fingers.
- Structure and routine - create your own!
I endorse the 'restaurant' approach with my younger students, and there is no reason why this can't be used throughout your practice life. The 'entree/appetiser' prepares you for your practice. It should consist of things that warm up your fingers, your lips and lungs (if you are a wind player), your coordination (between hands/arms/feet) and your brain. This is typically where scales come into play. The 'main course' is your core repertoire or your assigned work for the week. Then, the 'dessert' course - a way to finish up your practice session with something you really enjoy. Within a lesson, I like to use this time to play duets or a play-along CD. There are many variations on this theme, but like an athlete, it is always best to warm up first!
- Develop a warm-up
I am one of those weird people who like scales. When I did my Bachelor degree, my daily practice was three hours long - the first hour consisted solely of scales and whatever the assigned study was for that week. The other two hours was repertoire and excerpts, and the proportion depended on what was required at the time. I always had a set formula of how I did my scales. But that's just me!
The key to developing your warm-up is to identify what your instrument's weaknesses are, what your weaknesses are, and what your current repertoire requires of you. Flute players will always be required in their repertoire to be able to rip off ridiculously fast scales in any key, and especially chromatics. Oboists always have long and beautiful solos - sustained long note and breathing practice will help here! Brass players need lip slurs and extreme register practice.
- Don't keep bashing your head against a brick wall
My husband describes students who keep playing the same thing wrong over and over again without altering the way they practice it as follows:
*bashes head against wall* "Hmm, that hurt...I think I'll do it again!" *bashes head against wall* "Hmm, that hurt...I think I'll do it again!" *bashes head against wall*
Seeing a pattern here?
The funny thing is, most of us are guilty of this at some point. Do you always miss the Bb in that run? Why are you still missing it? Probably because you've played it wrong so many times, it is now a habit! (See paragraph 1). I refer to it as 'getting over the hump' - once you have got it right once, you are more likely to get it right again. Isolate the bit that is going wrong - even down to three notes. Add another note either side. Keep doing this until the whole phrase is back together.
This also applies to speed. If I had a dollar for every time a student said to me, "I've been practicing it fast. I can't play it slow," I would never need to work again. Metronomes are your best friend - and there are fantastic apps, even free ones, available on most mobile devices now. Play the passage slowly - slower than you think you need to to get it right. Bump it up 5-10bpm depending on the difficulty and initial speed. Get it perfect at that speed. Bump it up the same amount again. Get it perfect at that speed. It is tedious, but when you can play it perfectly fast and slow, it is totally worth it in the end.
- Practice doesn't just have to be about playing
John Dee, my wonderful oboe professor at UIUC tells the story of a clarinet player he studied with. He would rarely hear him play when he was in the practice room, yet he won every audition he took. He asked him what the deal was. The clarinetist would record all of his audition material, and spend the majority of his allocated practice time analysing his playing, down to minute details, then target just those places. Self analysis and reflection are valuable learning tools. Recording and listening to yourself is hard, but it is the best way to be honest with yourself. When you are playing, your ear sometimes hears what you want to sound like, not what you actually do sound like! Sometimes it is a pleasant surprise.
Also, spend time listening to others. Don't get stuck on one recording of anything - it is possible that you may get attached to a way of playing a piece which is not de rigeur. Or unachievable! Humans are wonderful at mimicry, especially as children. This is why I always play for and with my students - if you can hear how something is supposed to sound, it makes it much easier to find ways to achieve it.
- Once you have a routine, break it
Rules were made to be broken. So were routines, in my book. A change is as good as a holiday. It is easy to get stuck in a rut, and then it is a little too much like the 'bashing head against brick wall' analogy. Watch a YouTube concert instead of practicing one day. Play along with an entire CD of jazz and blues. Find a friend and play duets. Write your own piece and practice that. Just don't forget to start the real work again!
In short, practice is an art in itself. It doesn't just have to be about scales or stuff that just isn't fun. Music is fun, and social, and intellectual. Find the methods and routines that suit your needs and help you progress the way you want, and keep them!
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