# Practice by Dr. Steven Hemphill *excised from the Kansas State University Percussion Handbook* # How to Practice Before discussion of the details required for effective and efficient, result oriented practice, it is important to schedule practice sessions on a routine basis, the same time each day, if possible. Assigning importance to the practice schedule (high on the priority scale), just as one would for a job or a class in school, will help with the discipline and consistency necessary for serious, growth-minded musicians. Also, make it convenient to commence with practice sessions, retaining requisite materials (methods books and literature, stick/mallet bags, metronome, pencils, note pad or notebook, manuscript paper, etc.) in one location, always ready for each session. Perhaps one would benefit from maintaining notes or keeping a journal for each practice session, providing efficient time management from one session to another. Be aware of immediate goals and define them for all practice sessions. What is the greatest weakness right now? What technical problems are most deserving of attention? Have I identified a sequential learning approach to my music and have I prioritized my needs? With specific goals in mind, one can begin to practice more effectively. Also, keep in mind long-term goals (the big picture) and how the designated short-term goals will help to reach important over-riding musical achievements. ## How to Warm-Up When practicing, always try to be very relaxed physically. Warm up completely, and use a proven technical routine that has been identified for its physical-support value and thoroughness. Attention should be focused frequently on arms, hands, fingers, legs, feet, back, neck, and face. Tension can inhibit a smooth and flowing performance and create a high degree of exhaustion. Good posture, relaxation, and physical flow can be enhanced by awareness of the breathing. Then, begin the day's practice with a piece of music that is very familiar and which can be played comfortably. At this point, one can begin more difficult work, trying to stay relaxed at all times, in all parts of the body. ## Slow, Careful Practice Slow practice is probably one of the most important aids to learning/advancing on any instrument. Many students practice an exercise or a piece of music much faster than they can play it accurately and cleanly. Every time one makes mistakes due to practicing too fast, the mistakes are being learned! Always practice at a tempo that results in correct performance, progressively increasing the speed. The discipline required for slow, careful practice is a major musical commitment. ## Frequent, Short Breaks With the high frequency rate of repetitive motion ailments in the training of musicians, it is important that one often takes brief intermissions for relaxation during all practice sessions. Mild flexing motions, while stepping away from the instrument and without holding any object in the hands, can relax the shoulders, arms, wrists, hands and fingers. It is also critical to be refreshed and alert, mentally, if the practice session is to provide significant results. Personal development in the area of concentration will bring efficiency to each session. With a goal-driven orientation, time management also is important to the practice routine. ## Using the Metronome The proper use of the metronome goes hand-in-hand with slow practice. The metronome should be set at a tempo at which one can play a phrase (or larger section) easily and without mistakes. Play it several times at this tempo. Move the metronome up one or two notches. Play it several times at this faster tempo. Continue the process until the correct or desired tempo has been reached as indicated on the music. If mistakes begin to appear, move the metronome to a slower speed. Also, the development of internal timekeeping, with a clock-steady pulse, is a discipline that is crucial to musical performance. The use of a metronome, drum machine, or computer with music sequencing software will aid greatly in this endeavor. ## Repetition Divide the music into short phrases, usually anywhere from one measure to a line or two in length. Practice each phrase many times consecutively. Focusing on short sections at a time will promote quick learning. Also, be sure to play the beginning of the following phrase each time, thereby avoiding difficulty connecting musical phrases when the work is played in its entirety. Technical exercises (scales, arpeggios, sequences, rudiments, etc.) should be repeated many times, and at all tempi (especially extremely slow and fast tempi). Check for flow and relation at MM = 60, 90, and 120. Repeat a pattern or musical gesture for 2 or 3 minutes instead of just 10 or 20 times. ## Kinetic Awareness Through controlled repetition, the musician can focus upon the feel of the activity and the accompanying motion involved, without visual aid (direct vision or use of a mirror). Tactile sensory is extremely important to the development of accuracy and relaxation. Try repeating phrases, not with the idea of playing a passage a certain number of times, but with the idea of repeating a passage for three or four minutes at a time, without pause. Body memory, or kinetic memory (orientation), should be a very positive and desired result. ## Staying Alert Not only does a musician strive for muscle memory ("auto pilot" mode), but he/she should strive for awareness on many different levels including the physical awareness of activity, aural awareness, and awareness of sensation or feeling. The use of a timer (i.e. a kitchen aid timing device) can help musicians focus on musical coordination and physiology, instead of the distraction of keeping one eye on the clock (thinking about when the practice session must end and imminent appointments of the day). ## Over-Compensation Practice difficult passages above the designated tempo. Being able to accurately perform difficult (technically demanding) music well above designated tempi will allow the performer to relax and play more expressively during performances where the original (slower) tempi are observed. (To be used in conjunction with #2.) In addition, a musical passage can be adjusted or re-composed to serve as a technical exercise, where the technical challenge is purposely increased: adding ornamentation; increasing intervallic relationships; doubling material between hands, etc. ## Always Play Musically Practicing is a life-long process, so demand musical qualities in all practice room endeavors. Strive for a singing style, with artistic qualities - those that speak through a musical communication. Enjoyment and appreciation of the instrument's sound is a prerequisite to practice time concentration. **Practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.** ## The Practice Doctor - An Analogy for Practicing Practice is similar to that which takes place in a doctor's office, with the musician assuming the role of the doctor: the patient becomes the musical work being studied (except that the musical work cannot tell the doctor "where it hurts" - the musician's ears must decide this). - The "doctor" (musician) identifies an area that might have a technical or musical problem. - The "doctor" examines the area and gives a diagnosis. - The "doctor" treats the issue, prescribing a dose of musical exercise as a cure: - extracting a few notes, specifically, and repeating the fragment or phrase many times - playing the fragment or phrase very slowly, focusing on a specific difficulty - playing the fragment or phrase with a metronome, working slow to fast, incrementally - playing the fragment or phrase very slowly, emphasizing a specific detail - playing the fragment or phrase, but with different notes requiring a more demanding technique (over-compensation) - playing the fragment or phrase above the required tempo - playing the fragment or phrase at extreme dynamics (ppp or fff) - playing the fragment or phrase with various approaches to musical direction, emphasis, shape, and articulation - developing an original, spontaneous musical exercise which puts emphasis on a technique in question - The "doctor" re-examines the "patient" to determine if the treatment has "healed" the problem (the musician plays the selected passage in the original musical context several times). - The "doctor" then either: a) re-diagnoses the problem and prescribes a new or continuing treatment, or b) the doctor declares that the "patient" is cured, and then seeks new issues (musical or technical) in the "patient." ## Memorizing Some people memorize music very easily, while others find it more difficult. Memorizing, like everything else, becomes easier with practice and experience. Repetition is key to memorization, with attention to all musical details (including stickings) at the outset. Avoid memorizing only the notes first, and then going back to memorize the musical aspects of a work (phrasing, dynamics, accents, etc.) - see and hear the entire work with all musical components intact. If memorizing a work is troublesome, try steps 1-4 below as a prescribed process, and then try one or more of the other tasks (5-12): 1. Learn the music until it is fairly comfortable. It does not have to be completely up to tempo at this time. 2. Then, practice one phrase at a time. Set the metronome to about one-half the suggested tempo. Repeat the phrase twenty to thirty times. By then it should be memorized. Repeat this procedure for two or three days to ensure that the phrases have been correctly memorized. 3. Combine phrases into longer units, repeating many times. 4. Take the music up to proper tempo. 5. Practice/study the music away from the instrument (mental practice). 6. Sing or vocalize the music, and sing back specific passages without looking at the music. 7. Try writing out the music from memory. 8. Check the music occasionally; making certain that it has not been altered (learned incorrectly) in any way. 9. Evaluate recorded performances (audio and/or video). 10. If the piece is not overly demanding in a technical sense, attempt to play the work "cold" at the beginning of several practice sessions. 11. Develop your own concentration exercises. 12. Practice memorizing short etudes from method books in a short period of time, attempting to "beat the clock" by accomplishing the task in as brief a time period as possible.