by Mike Overly
Are you spending a lot of time and effort practicing and yet never seem to make any progress? Then maybe you need to re-think what practice is and what you can do to make it more productive.
To the ancient Greeks, practice meant: do. Today, practice means: repeated action to acquire proficiency. You’ve heard the old saying, practice makes perfect, well, this is not entirely true! Repetition alone will not make you perfect. You must practice perfection, or else you run the risk of repeating previous mistakes... and what good are perfect mistakes?
It’s been said that it takes seven repetitions for a memory to take hold and thirty five repetitions to erase that previously learned memory. Therefore, the concept of perfect practice becomes a necessity, otherwise you’ll end-up spending all your practice time trying to unlearn mistakes - with no time remaining to make progress! This unnecessary waste of time results in frustration, disappointment and lack of confidence. In other words, you feel like quitting. So, to help you avoid this and many other negatives - remember: Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance.
Some say that the goal of practice is the performance. I would agree if we simply state that practice is the learning of the parts and that performance is putting the holistic parts together and then playing them whole from the beginning to the end. Said another way, practice is digital, while performance is analog. Remember, performance may be for yourself or for others.
Whatever your performance goals are, daily practice is essential for the goal to be reached. By setting aside a short amount of time, at the same time each day, you will start to develop the process of practicing and begin to create good practice habits that will last a lifetime.
It’s important to note that each practice session is made up of many sections. And when each section is followed routinely, your practice session will become more productive. This will lead you to a more successful performance. Although the responsibility to practice is yours alone, encouragement from a parent, spouse, friend, band member or teacher can certainly help you become more disciplined. So, be sure to share this article with them. Now, with that said, here are a few suggestions on how to structure your practice session to make your practice time more efficient and effective and your performances more successful too.
Let’s begin with the practice area. It should be a relatively quiet place with good lighting and a comfortable armless chair. It should also be free of interruptions from the computer, telephone, fax, pager, TV and a host of other electronic devices that can break your concentration. In addition to your instrument, here are some other items that you will find useful: a music stand, metronome, drum machine or sequencer, tuner, CD, recorder, pencils, eraser and your music books. The idea is to have everything close at hand, so that you won’t have to stop practicing to go get something. Next, begin to prepare mentally by focusing on what you want to achieve in this particular practice session. If you have the time, think about what you would like to accomplish this week, this month, or perhaps even this year. The more defined your goals, the easier it is to attain them.
To prepare physically, begin by relaxing and releasing any tensions from your body. This promotes correct body alignment and will help to avoid any future health problems such as carpal tunnel and tendinitis. Don’t forget, prevention is the best cure!
Okay, now we’re ready to begin the actual practice session. First tune-up your instrument, and yes, make sure your piano is in tune. Start by warming-up with technical exercises. These will include various scales, arpeggios, chords, etudes and other finger pattern exercises and studies. When you feel that you are sufficiently warmed-up, proceed to the next step of the practice session.
At this stage of the practice session, time is provided for re-view of previously learned material. The prefix “re” means: again, therefore, rehearsal could be thought of as “re-hear-all” or, to hear it all again. This review of previously acquired skills creates a connection to the new material being learned. Other topics that may present themselves for review at this time are: rhythm, melody, harmony, sight-reading, analysis, tone production, and dynamics. Daily practice gives you the ability to proceed to the new material with confidence and optimism. That’s a very good thing!
The next stage of the practice session is the actual learning of new material. This is when you thoroughly examine the new material to learn as much as you can before you play it. Some of the things you might encounter at this time are: key signatures, time signatures, tempo, fingerings, phrasing, and lots of other direction signs from the composer. After carefully considering all these elements, you are ready to begin practicing, starting at the beginning and proceeding slowly and perfectly until you reach the end.
You will find it beneficial to break a whole song into smaller sections (even measure by measure) and then link those sections together. This will enable you to minimize, and hopefully eliminate, mistakes at this stage of the practice session.
Sometimes the fastest way is to go slow: think of the tortoise and the hare! A perfect practice is only possible if you begin slowly. Slow enough to think before you play. Another benefit of going slow is that you can break the habit of stopping and repeating from the beginning whenever you make a mistake. This in itself is a mistake! Instead, you learn to isolate and focus on the mistake as it occurs, then re-think it through as many times as necessary to get it correct before moving on. This is much better than wasting time repeating what you already know.
It also helps if you can record your practice so that you can objectively hear what you really played. This will help you identify any problem areas, correct them quickly and improve your future performances. And finally, a progressive practice guarantees that each practice session builds upon the last and that each sequential practice assures your continued ability to confidently proceed from perfect practice to successful perfect performance.
Now, with your eyes on the music, your hands on your instrument, and your ears on the sound, be sure to plan your practice and practice your plan. I’ll be listening...
Globally-renowned guitar and bass instructor, Mike Overly easily combines the worlds of deeply-rooted academic study with a well-textured performance resume. His pathbreaking 12 Tone Music Publishing products provide valuable insights into simplifying the playing process with such ideas as: How to Play Like a Genius Without Really Being One, or, Awesome Licks, Riffs, Hooks and Fills made Easy!
Join Mike at www.12tonemusic.com to explore and expand your knowledge of these two iconic instruments through a variety of interviews and reviews, tips and tricks and free lessons, all presented in a family-friendly forum. Plus, as an added bonus, you get to follow Mr. Pick as he
introduces you to fun fretboard games, jokes, riddles, quotes and more. Be sure to read the 12 Tone Music Blog where Mike offers a behind-the scenes look at the development of his unique approach to music, guitar and bass.
Mike Overly's unmatched perspective on fretboard education has something for everyone -- from the amateur hobbyist to the serious professional player -- as well as any music enthusiast who wants to come along for the ride.
Are you spending a lot of time and effort practicing and yet never seem to make any progress? Then maybe you need to re-think what practice is and what you can do to make it more productive.
To the ancient Greeks, practice meant: do. Today, practice means: repeated action to acquire proficiency. You’ve heard the old saying, practice makes perfect, well, this is not entirely true! Repetition alone will not make you perfect. You must practice perfection, or else you run the risk of repeating previous mistakes... and what good are perfect mistakes?
It’s been said that it takes seven repetitions for a memory to take hold and thirty five repetitions to erase that previously learned memory. Therefore, the concept of perfect practice becomes a necessity, otherwise you’ll end-up spending all your practice time trying to unlearn mistakes - with no time remaining to make progress! This unnecessary waste of time results in frustration, disappointment and lack of confidence. In other words, you feel like quitting. So, to help you avoid this and many other negatives - remember: Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance.
Some say that the goal of practice is the performance. I would agree if we simply state that practice is the learning of the parts and that performance is putting the holistic parts together and then playing them whole from the beginning to the end. Said another way, practice is digital, while performance is analog. Remember, performance may be for yourself or for others.
Whatever your performance goals are, daily practice is essential for the goal to be reached. By setting aside a short amount of time, at the same time each day, you will start to develop the process of practicing and begin to create good practice habits that will last a lifetime.
It’s important to note that each practice session is made up of many sections. And when each section is followed routinely, your practice session will become more productive. This will lead you to a more successful performance. Although the responsibility to practice is yours alone, encouragement from a parent, spouse, friend, band member or teacher can certainly help you become more disciplined. So, be sure to share this article with them. Now, with that said, here are a few suggestions on how to structure your practice session to make your practice time more efficient and effective and your performances more successful too.
Let’s begin with the practice area. It should be a relatively quiet place with good lighting and a comfortable armless chair. It should also be free of interruptions from the computer, telephone, fax, pager, TV and a host of other electronic devices that can break your concentration. In addition to your instrument, here are some other items that you will find useful: a music stand, metronome, drum machine or sequencer, tuner, CD, recorder, pencils, eraser and your music books. The idea is to have everything close at hand, so that you won’t have to stop practicing to go get something. Next, begin to prepare mentally by focusing on what you want to achieve in this particular practice session. If you have the time, think about what you would like to accomplish this week, this month, or perhaps even this year. The more defined your goals, the easier it is to attain them.
To prepare physically, begin by relaxing and releasing any tensions from your body. This promotes correct body alignment and will help to avoid any future health problems such as carpal tunnel and tendinitis. Don’t forget, prevention is the best cure!
Okay, now we’re ready to begin the actual practice session. First tune-up your instrument, and yes, make sure your piano is in tune. Start by warming-up with technical exercises. These will include various scales, arpeggios, chords, etudes and other finger pattern exercises and studies. When you feel that you are sufficiently warmed-up, proceed to the next step of the practice session.
At this stage of the practice session, time is provided for re-view of previously learned material. The prefix “re” means: again, therefore, rehearsal could be thought of as “re-hear-all” or, to hear it all again. This review of previously acquired skills creates a connection to the new material being learned. Other topics that may present themselves for review at this time are: rhythm, melody, harmony, sight-reading, analysis, tone production, and dynamics. Daily practice gives you the ability to proceed to the new material with confidence and optimism. That’s a very good thing!
The next stage of the practice session is the actual learning of new material. This is when you thoroughly examine the new material to learn as much as you can before you play it. Some of the things you might encounter at this time are: key signatures, time signatures, tempo, fingerings, phrasing, and lots of other direction signs from the composer. After carefully considering all these elements, you are ready to begin practicing, starting at the beginning and proceeding slowly and perfectly until you reach the end.
You will find it beneficial to break a whole song into smaller sections (even measure by measure) and then link those sections together. This will enable you to minimize, and hopefully eliminate, mistakes at this stage of the practice session.
Sometimes the fastest way is to go slow: think of the tortoise and the hare! A perfect practice is only possible if you begin slowly. Slow enough to think before you play. Another benefit of going slow is that you can break the habit of stopping and repeating from the beginning whenever you make a mistake. This in itself is a mistake! Instead, you learn to isolate and focus on the mistake as it occurs, then re-think it through as many times as necessary to get it correct before moving on. This is much better than wasting time repeating what you already know.
It also helps if you can record your practice so that you can objectively hear what you really played. This will help you identify any problem areas, correct them quickly and improve your future performances. And finally, a progressive practice guarantees that each practice session builds upon the last and that each sequential practice assures your continued ability to confidently proceed from perfect practice to successful perfect performance.
Now, with your eyes on the music, your hands on your instrument, and your ears on the sound, be sure to plan your practice and practice your plan. I’ll be listening...
Globally-renowned guitar and bass instructor, Mike Overly easily combines the worlds of deeply-rooted academic study with a well-textured performance resume. His pathbreaking 12 Tone Music Publishing products provide valuable insights into simplifying the playing process with such ideas as: How to Play Like a Genius Without Really Being One, or, Awesome Licks, Riffs, Hooks and Fills made Easy!
Join Mike at www.12tonemusic.com to explore and expand your knowledge of these two iconic instruments through a variety of interviews and reviews, tips and tricks and free lessons, all presented in a family-friendly forum. Plus, as an added bonus, you get to follow Mr. Pick as he
introduces you to fun fretboard games, jokes, riddles, quotes and more. Be sure to read the 12 Tone Music Blog where Mike offers a behind-the scenes look at the development of his unique approach to music, guitar and bass.
Mike Overly's unmatched perspective on fretboard education has something for everyone -- from the amateur hobbyist to the serious professional player -- as well as any music enthusiast who wants to come along for the ride.
