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| by Mike Christiansen Playing guitar, or any other instrument for that matter, is a physical, athletic activity. Like athletes, guitarists need to develop good workout (practice) habits which will keep them in top condition. Many of the same skill development techniques use for physical conditioning can be paralleled to good practice techniques. A well planned workout could help you lose weight and tone muscles. A well designed practice schedule can help you lose pounds of mistakes and tone your fingers. There is much more to practicing than simply sitting down and playing the guitar. It is important to have fun, but it is also important to move forward with your playing. The trick is to make practice fun and productive. The following tips will be helpful in getting the most out of your practice time. 1. Practice with a goal. In an effective physical workout, the athlete has a goal in mind, such as toning a group of muscles. The musician who practices effectively will also have a goal such as increasing the tempo when playing the piece. It is important to set short-term, attainable goals which are not overwhelming. Organize the goals and write them down. Writing down the goal is like giving yourself an assignment. You will feel more obligated to reach the goal if it is written. Place short-term goals, such as mastering the rhythm in two measures, first on the list. Work your way up to larger goals, such as memorizing the entire piece. When setting goals, know your limitations, but push yourself. 2. Schedule a practice time. Many who do physical workouts find they are more devoted and successful if they work out at a specific time each day. This also holds true for practicing. It may be beneficial to write on a schedule the time you will be practicing each day. Many students find the same time every day is a good discipline. Schedule a time to practice when you will be alert. 6:00 A.M. may not be the best time for some, but for others, it may work great. If you are too tired, practicing will not be productive. In fact, practicing when tired may be counter-productive because mistakes may be made and not corrected. Have a predetermined length of time you will practice. The length of time can depend on your age, schedule, and/or your experience on the instrument. The length of the practice is not as important as is scheduling a set time. 3. Practice in a comfortable environment. Practicing will be most effective if it is done in a place where the temperature is comfortable. The area should have good lighting and be relatively free from noise and interruptions. 4. Have a structure. Structure your practicing in such a way that the time is divided into sections. First, begin with a warm-up. Like the runner who begins by stretching, the musician needs to stretch muscles and warm up the fingers. The warm-up could include finger exercises, scales, chord exercises, etc. Next, play music which has been learned and can be played well. This portion of the practice could include playing music which needs some final polish and touching up. After playing familiar music, work on the more difficult and challenging pieces and/or exercises. This is where the real "meat and potatoes" of the practice time takes place. The effort which is required to learn the new music, or new technique, will demand concentration and patience and may consume most of the time scheduled for practice. Finally, after working on the new material, "cool down" by playing music which has been learned and can be played well. Just as it is important for the runner to cool down, the musician should unwind at the end of a practice session. Towards the end of a practice session, playing music which you have mastered is mentally and physically healthy. Use the same plan each time you practice. 5. Solve Problems. When doing a physical workout, attention may be given to developing specific areas of the body. For example, the focus may be on the development of the abs. So, specific exercises are done to develop that area of the body. In most pieces of music, there will be areas which will need extra attention. For example, there may be portions of the music which contain difficult fingerings, rhythms, or chords which need extra attention. Locate these "trouble spots" in the music and isolate them. Practice them separately, repeatedly and slowly. Then, play the music before and through the difficult section. Finally, play the entire piece. If you try to polish a difficult section by playing the entire piece from beginning to end over and over, you are wasting valuable practice time because the easier sections do not require as much attention. 6. Practice small sections at a time. Don't eat the music with a shovel. You will gag. You need to tackle the music one spoonful at a time. If you play the music non-stop from top to bottom, you may not remember what you did at the beginning...that was too long ago. When learning a new piece, start at the beginning of the music and play one or two measures. Play the music slowly being careful to use correct fingerings, rhythms, tone, etc. After you can play the first two measures, practice the next one or two measures repeatedly. After the two new measures have been learned, play the music from the beginning to that point. Repeat the process by continually adding on a small section. The amount of music which is added will vary depending upon the difficulty. 7. Practice mentally, then physically. In sports, an athlete plans an action before making it. The football player knows mentally where he will move when executing a particular play. In music, the musician needs to plan for moves that will be made. Imagine making the move before doing it. Practice mentally by reading the music without holding the guitar. Imagine yourself playing the music. Envision using the correct fingerings and playing the correct rhythms. In your mind's ear, try to hear the notes as you imagine yourself picking the strings. You might also try singing the music as you imagine yourself playing. 8. Don't practice mistakes. Practicing mistakes means to continually making them over and over during a practice session. Repeating mistakes can be a result of fatigue, lack of concentration, or not being aware the mistake is there. If a tennis player or golfer hits the ball wrong, he knows he should try to correct the mistake and not hit the ball incorrectly again. If a guitarist makes a mistake in the music, he shouldn't repeat it. A professional musician will not accept mistakes. Listen very closely to the music you play. You may even want to record your practice session and listen to the recording to detect mistakes. If mistakes happen, correct them rather than practicing them over and over. Correcting mistakes early when learning a piece is easier than correcting mistakes later. 9. Have a performance goal. In sports, the game, match, or tournament will be the "pay off" for all of the practice. In music, the performance is where the musician can exhibit what has been learned and developed through practice. Even from the beginning, practice the music as if it were being prepared for a performance. Your practice sessions are the rehearsals for the performance. Having the performance as the goal will put purpose into practicing. The performance may not be at the Hollywood Bowl. You may be performing for your teacher or family. Although the actual performance is important, the practicing which has been done leading up to that moment is just as important. The three words which are the ingredients of a successful performance are: preparation, preparation, and preparation. 10. Develop concentration. Becoming physically fit takes time and patience; so does getting musically fit. Focus your attention on the challenges in the music. Think back on advice from your teacher. Think what advice you would give if you were a teacher teaching you. Avoid boredom. Getting bored will break your concentration. Do not let the learning of new and/or difficult music consume all of your practice time. Have some fun and be relaxed. Playing pieces you have mastered and enjoy (regardless of the difficulty) should be an important part of your practice. Putting variety into your practice will keep you from becoming bored and help you develop concentration. The variety could be in musical styles, tempos, keys, improvisation, composing, etc. 11. Be positive. Have a positive attitude. The importance of attitude was once described by Charles Swindol when he wrote, "The more I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill...the remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past...we cannot change the fact that people act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude...I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you...we are in charge of our attitudes." Think of the rewards and the satisfaction you will receive by achieving your goal of mastering the music. Rather than always looking to the future at what has to be done, occasionally look back and see how far you have come. Once you begin reaching your goals, you will feel confident and your practicing will be self-motivated. If you are patient and apply these suggestions to your practice, you will become musically stronger and healthier. Although performing the music perfectly is never guaranteed, and the road to that goal may seem long and lined with distractions, improving your practice skills will help you stay on the right track and obtain many rewards. Enjoy the ride. |