I hope you're all enjoying a little R&R on this Columbus Day (or Thanksgiving up north, or Eid out east) and can relax and catch up on reading, listening and maybe even sneaking in a bit more practicing. For me that actually is a luxury, to have a little extra time to noodle on the bass and not be 100% focused on the next program coming up, the next book I'm writing (more about that later) and getting things ready for my students.
So today I was so pumped to read two great articles online (thank you facebook friends for posting these great links) and I want to share them with you all. They both deal with practicing your instrument and how you use that time. And what is enough time, exactly? The big deal in both articles is that they both posit that it really isn't the AMOUNT of time, it's what you do with that time. And both articles describe beautifully the ways in which we all waste so much time and drive ourselves to boredom/inattention.
Here they are:
from Lifehacker: http://lifehacker.com/5939374/a-better-way-to-practice
and from the Bulletproof Musician: http://www.bulletproofmusician.com/why-the-progress-in-the-practice-room-seems-to-disappear-overnight/
And for those of you "playing along at home", I recently gave all my students, young and older, a practice journal that suggests ways of breaking up your 1/2 hour or hour into 5 minute units to help keep everyone moving along through material and using small units of time to focus on small amounts of music. I'll post them here along with the sheet "5 Minutes" which gives ideas about breaking down your practice minutes. I totally stole this idea from many people I've worked with, but lately from David Finkel whose youTube video lessons are really great. His "4 minute practice" video is worth it to see 4 minutes in action, with him describing what he chose to do, and why, and then acts on the decisions, all in....4 minutes.
My biggest concern for my students (lately) is that they grasp how to practice. Ideally they won't need me at some point. I want them to be able to break down their music and understand the issues in playing, and know how to make changes on their own. This takes a lot of listening accurately, knowing what the goal is and understanding where the two don't line up. Then knowing how to make a change to get to the sound you wanted. Don't be daunted! These are learn-able skills, all of them!
Happy practicing!
Gaelen
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