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Amos

"Little and often is better than long and once"
Amos, trombone
 
Jane
 
 
"I try to do as much practice away from my instrument. Listen to the piece. Get to know it as a whole. It is even possible to work out fingering from just looking at the music. When it comes to getting out your instrument a lot of the hard work has already been done!"
Jane, violin
 
 

Practice tips for the budding musician!

 

Every good musician knows that practice makes perfect, but did you know that careless practice can actually make you worse?

 

Try to practise every day

  • Even if it's only for a short amount of time, try to make practising part of your daily routine.

  • According to CLS musicians, 20 minutes is optimum time for productive concentration.

Warm up properly!

  • Not just because your teacher tells you to practise scales... it's important to make sure your muscles and joints are properly warmed up to prevent injury, in the same way that athletes need to warm up before a match or a race.

Peace and Quiet

  • Make sure your practice space is quiet and free of distractions; away from the TV, computer or your mobile phone!

Mix it up

  • Don't start from the same spot in the same piece every time you practise. Try the hard stuff first; start with phrases you're having trouble with, break them up and practise each slowly in whatever order you like, and then try putting them back in order.

  • Include a ‘fun piece' in your practice time; something you really want to play, rather than always playing exam or performance pieces.

Stay calm

  • It's easy to get frustrated when you're finding a piece difficult. Work on the most challenging spots first and break the music down into small sections.

  • Try playing it really slowly with a metronome and increasing the tempo notch by notch. Don't worry if you still can't play it up to tempo, sometimes leaving it and returning the next day is the best answer.

Set yourself goals

  • Maybe you're working towards an audition, an exam or a performance or maybe your teacher has asked you to memorise or complete a piece for next week's lesson. Whatever you're working towards, it's important to think about why you're practising and set yourself both short and long term goals.

Enjoy it!