Practice Techniques: It is all in the routine!

1. Keep a written assignment book

• Ask your instructor to write down your assignment each week or you write down your assignment before leaving your lesson/class.

• Writing down the assignment with details is very important  -  a few days later things become fuzzy as to the details of what you are supposed to practice.



2. Practice right after your lesson/class or at least the next day
   • You will take advantage fully of what you have been taught if you practice right away.
   • You will be more apt to practice more during the week if you have gotten the "first" day of practice accomplished and your assignment will not seem so overwhelming.
   • Practicing early in the week allows for unexpected happenings in your schedule so you are not "cramming" at the last minute.

   
   
3. Try to pick a day/time that is the same for each day
   • Finding the same time daily helps with keeping a steady practice routine.
   • For students in school - practice right after getting home from school. It is tiring to practice after homework gets done. For busy homework days, practice at least 15 minutes before starting homework.
   
   
4. Keep a written practice record
   • Make a weekly calendar and mark the days you have practiced.
   • Use stars (or some indicator) to mark the days you have practiced.
   • Reward yourself after 25 practice days.
   
   
5. Warm-up
   • Warm up with scales, chords, and arpeggios.
   • If you know all your scales, chords, and arpeggios - pick 5-10 to practice each day.
   • Beginners - warm up with flashcards to work on sight reading.
   
   
6. Repertoire/Performance
   • Play each piece and find the problem sections.
   • Work on the problem sections slowly.
   • To see if you have mastered the problem section, start a measure or two before problem section to find whether you have actually mastered the problem section.
   • Once problem areas have been mastered, focus on other details such as dynamics, phrasing, articulation and technique.
   • Follow the above for the other pieces you have been assigned to practice.
   
   
7. Use a metronome
   • Slow down your playing when practicing so details can be followed. Pick up the speed in increments of 5-10 as you improve with the piece.
   • Metronomes help to keep a steady pace of playing to avoid pauses and slowing down. Better to play slow without many mistakes than fast with lots of mistakes.
   
   
8. Reward yourself
   • pick a song of your choice to play for fun whether it is a song you have already learned or a song you have picked out yourself to begin learning.
   
   
9. Create a memorized list
   • Work on memory skills by memorizing your favorite pieces you have learned.
   • Write these songs down on a list and review them daily (pick one or two at random to review.)
   • Remember, it is very self rewarding to be able to play pieces without your book.
   • Perform these pieces for friends, family etc.
   
   
10. Intermediate to advanced students - should add the following to their practice
    • theory, sight reading, advanced chord and scale training, improvisation, etc.

Practice and Progress Go Hand In Hand

© 2007 by Peggy Still