Practicing Like a Champ
We have all been there, stuck in the practice room (sometimes also called the basement) staring at a sheet of music, not knowing how to make heads or tails of that dang thing. Those notes jump out of the page at you and you think, “How am I supposed to get from the top to the bottom?”
Here’s my two cents:
Before you even start, listen to it.
Don’t be afraid to take it section by section
Use your pencil!
Find a decent recording of the piece/study/excerpt on YouTube and follow along on your page. Take some mental or even pencil notes on things the performer did. More often than not, this gives you a headstart in comprehending the music, as well as a proper interpretation of it. Too many times I’ve decided that the piece was easy, went ahead and read through it, and only discovered months down the line small particular quirks that were somehow omitted from the music.
Have you ever gone to the buffet while you were hungry, picked out everything you wanted and realized very quickly that this was way more than you could eat?
Running through a piece from top to bottom is literally that for your brain.
It doesn’t need to be stated that practicing music is an exercise of memory, both muscular and mental. And only through endless repetition can you begin to master the music. However, we must do this strategically: Take bite-sized chunks one by one, and eventually tie them together in the end.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, treat your pencil like your best friend. Don’t be afraid to mark up your pages with trouble sections, reminders for your performance, or even things to ask your teacher.
Don’t feel like you have to memorize every tiny little detail, musical markings are there to help us, and so can our own markings if we’re smart about it.
For example, if there is an accidental I miss every time I play through a section, I circle the note. Playing through it again, it does the trick of reminding me.
Or perhaps you’re playing in an ensemble situation, and you need to look up to coordinate, you could draw in a pair of glasses and next to it write who you need to look for!(courtesy of Dr. Julia Nolan)
For more tips and tricks like these, go ahead and check out our Instagram, or book a lesson with our teachers today!
