Practice smarter, not harder.
Soaking the Pan is a clever name that one of my students and I came up with together. It’s a pretty common technique that most people do already without thinking about it, but I’ll describe it, step by step, just in case it’s a process that doesn’t come natural to you. How Did We Come … Continue reading “Soaking the Pan – A Practice Technique”
There are a few practice techniques that involve slowing down, especially with a metronome. This article will be talking about the Boss Practice Technique, which has specific steps. This is mostly used for small sections of music at a time. It’s very reliable – it will get you where you want to go – but … Continue reading “The Boss Practice Technique: Slow Down Then Speed Up.”
I have a lot of clever practice techniques. I love practice techniques because they work so much faster and easier than traditional practice. Whenever I talk to a different musician, I ask what their favorite practice technique is. This is one way that I’ve collected the practice techniques over the years. Another way is that … Continue reading “Dude, Just Practice.”
The octave practice technique was something I learned from my college piano teacher, Rebecca Mattek. I had worked and worked on hitting this one chord all week, and I just couldn’t get it. She had me do this practice technique and I was able to hit the chord immediately. This was the first practice technique … Continue reading “The Octave Practice Technique”
Dealing with frustration during practice is a huge part of having a good practice technique. Who hasn’t given an angry stomp or jumped up and down while growling because you just can’t get that tough lick? How many times have you banged your fist on the piano because your fingers won’t do what you’re telling … Continue reading “Dealing with Frustration During Practice”
The silent practice technique simplifies your practice in some ways by eliminating certain aspects of your playing. This helps you focus on certain aspects of your playing, especially your fingers. It can be done on any instrument. Silent Practice on the Flute This is taught to be done in band while the director is working … Continue reading “The Silent Practice Technique”
I didn’t know the difference between practicing and playing my instruments until I was in college. I just played through everything that was assigned, usually making lots of mistakes – the same mistakes every time. By doing this, I was practicing the mistakes into my music. When mistakes are practiced into the music, they get … Continue reading “Practice vs. Play”
This is a practice technique that can and should be done from day one of starting a new repertoire piece. It’s simple, it makes you better, and you may realize that you’ve accidentally done it before. The only time you might not want to do this practice technique is if you’re in the process of … Continue reading “The “Divide and Conquer” Practice Technique”
Everyone has their own journey. This philosophy applies to everything in life, but I’m going to apply it to music. I had to give this same speech to two of my students in a row this week, so it’s time to send it out to the world. Average Progression We often compare ourselves to people … Continue reading “Everyone Has their Own Journey”
Life keeps sending me the same message: trust your training. Imposter syndrome is strong in the music community and I’m no exception. I wanted to let you know what happened to me recently to send me that message, once again. The Proposal A couple of weeks ago, the producer asked me to conduct for the … Continue reading “Trust Your Training”
