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*Practice Tips*
t is
better to
practice for short
periods every day than for a much longer period once a week.
You will achieve much more practicing 30 minutes each day than say, 2 hours once a week.
Sensible Practice
Playing a piece over and over - inclooding the mistaks will only mak yuo werse
Pleying a peice over and uver - incootling tha milktakes wall inly mik yoo wersse
blayins o piise ozer und ivor - uncloadink tho meestoakes wult inely mok ouy verst
Take the piece apart. Work on the difficult parts. When you can play them - put it all back together again and play the whole thing.
Practice Is CumulativeThe more you practice, the better you will become.
The better you become, the more you will enjoy playing.
The more you enjoy playing, the more you will practice.
And the more you practice, the better you will become.
The better you become, the more you will enjoy playing.
The more you enjoy playing, the more you will practice.
And the more you practice..........
Practice Regularly!
How easy it is to skip practice every now and then and put it off until tomorrow. It's a likely chance that you will do the same again tomorrow, and the day after that. Soon a week has passed, and when you do finally get that case open and actually play, everything feels strange and unfamiliar. You spend the entire session catching up on lost time.
Plan A Practice Routine
OK. You have established a regular 30 minute period to practice every day. That time must be time well spent and prove productive. Break it down into sections. If the instrument is out of its case and on a stand, then you are saving time straight away.
Scale And Arpeggio Practice
Scales. The word produces many a groan from a group of students. Scales need not be a chore.
Make a list and learn one new scale say, each week. Call it "The Scale Of The Week". Learn it from memory along with the arpeggio (broken chord 1st 3rd & 5th notes of the scale). Play it very slowly at first. Increase the speed gradually, only when you are sure of the fingering. Do not be tempted to play it too fast before you really know it. A common mistake is to try and learn them too fast, too soon.
Concentrate on your tone at the same time. Make your scales sound nice. After all, music is made up from scales and arpeggios. Make them musical. "Perform" those scales.
Long Note Practice
Long notes are essential for the development of a good tone on any wind instrument.
Relax, take a deep breath and use your diaphragm (muscles located beneath your ribs) to push a steady stream of air through your instrument. Play a constant note. Visualize that note as a straight line. Do not let it waver in pitch. Practice octaves (if you have reached the stage where you can play in the upper register of your instrument). First the lower, then the higher. Listen for differences in pitch and compensate accordingly.
Very often students will confuse the terms play and practice. I define the term "playing" as playing through the music one or several times over. "Practice" on the other hand has a focus. This focus includes:
• Playing the established warm up (long tones, scales etc.)
• Playing the music
• Identifying the problem spots
• Making exercises out of those problem spots
• Work from a slow tempo to the required tempo
• Working out the music from small pieces to larger
• Playing the piece from beginning to end as a wrap up
(this will also facilitate the endurance of the performer)
• Using your "second brain" (the pencil) throughout this process
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