PRACTICE TIPS

Practice is the key to success for any musical instrument and practice makes perfect, so they say. I say "aim for perfection, settle for excellence". 

Here are fifteen practice tips to help you achieve this.

1. The maxim ‘little and often’ in the early stages of learning is very important. 

2. Divide the piece in to short sections. Sometimes begin your practice by beginning at the last section, then do the next to last and so on until reaching the beginning. 

3. Find the time and make a start. Young people need help with this. 

4. Always try to approach learning a new piece when you are as fresh as possible. It is easy to ‘turn on the fingers’ and ‘tune off the mind’. 

5. Resist the temptation to play faster. If you have a metronome use it. 

6. Think ten times, play once. 

7. Do not work against time, if you only have half an hour, plan for twenty minutes practice, one eye on the clock will result in nervous tension that is no use to you. 

8. Mark the beat with your left foot, quietly! 

9. Visualize a piece through without any playing, either with or without the music. 

10. Do not set yourself impossible tasks, you are only human! Do not be satisfied with a standard you know could and ought to be better. 

11. During practice try to free your mind from any anxiety concerning the final standard or deadlines. 

12. Listen for resonance, not noise, in loud passages. 

13. Don’t worry about mistakes, it’s all part of the process. 

14. Always think the rhythm and meter before starting to play.   

15. Experiment, it’s fun, so have fun and enjoy yourself. 

Remember – every problem has both its origin and solution in the music itself.