How to Practice Music: The Difference Between Playing and Practicing | The Practicing Musician.pdf

Navigation ²

The Difference Between Playing and Practicing by Bradford on September 21, 2011 in Practicing

Gosto

795

Tweet

13

15

Photo: Pianist by Marko Vallius on Flickr One of the most important lessons a student can learn is that practicing music is a problem solving exercise. I read an article a few years back by classical guitarist and educator Scott Tennant that clearly defined the difference between playing and practicing. Those too words meant the same thing to me while growing up, but I now realize they are very different things. Playing: This is when you enjoy the hard work you’ve put into practicing, that is, you just play. When you play you are really concerned with only one thing: the experience. You might pay small attention to technique and musicality but for the most part you are just ‘going for it’ and letting your musical training and inspiration run free. This is not really practicing. When you are playing you are not able to improve anything, you simply test out or try to execute the material. Practicing: Practicing is when you are actually solving problems, that is, you are finding weaknesses and defects in your musicality that are either caused by technique, interpretation, reading, or how you envision the

piece of music. You then set about fixing the problems and improving yourself as a musician. So the rule is that when you practice you identify a problem and set about fixing it. Clarity is key to good practice. Think about when a music teacher critiques a student, they have to clearly state what the problem is and then offer up a solution. You must be your own teacher when you practice.

“

Practicing takes a great deal more concentration than playing but it makes you improve more quickly and efficiently!

Things to consider 1. 2. 3. 4.

Have you isolated the problem you are working on? Do you clearly understand the problem and can you describe it in words? If yes, how will you solve it? If no, get advice from your teacher or do some research. Research: how have others solved this issue? Did your teacher give you advice on the topic? Did you

actually try out that advice for a few weeks or months? Can you find clues/tips in books, websites, by listening? 5. Look for role models. If five high level professionals play in a certain way on YouTube maybe you can experiment by following their example (technique, posture, musicality). 6. Are there any tools to help you such as metronome practice, technique exercises? Would practicing your scales be a faster way to improve the problem? Keeping a practice journal I never really gave much thought to practice journals until the problem solving issue really hit home with me. By writing down your goals and problems/solutions you’ll be making your practice session much more concrete as opposed to abstract. Music teachers do this once a week for their students and so you must as well. You can write a weekly set of goals but then clearly write down what your want to achieve for each individual practice session. Be efficient (quality versus quantity) Some of my best students are not the ones who practice the most hours, they are the ones who consistently practice well. Being efficient will not only make you a better musician it will also free up some time so you can have a life. Having a life is darn important, you don’t have to lock yourself away and be a musical hermit, you just have to get to the main point of practicing which is to improve. The famous classical guitarist John Williams, a flawless player, said that while growing up he only practiced 30mins a day! I bet that was a concentrated and quality 30min! You can see my other post on quality vs quantity for more tips. All you need is love (love=technique and musicianship) The late head of strings at the Victoria Conservatory of Music, Dr. Walter Mony, once told me that I should dedicate most of my time to technique, musicianship, and etudes. I was stressed by the amount of repertoire I had at the time but his suggestion made sense. In a way, practicing technique and etudes is like practicing all of your pieces at once. The goal is to be able to have as little in the way of problems as possible so nothing that comes up in your repertoire will throw you. Musicianship is things like practicing your rhythm using your body and voice, away from your instrument. If you understand the music and have a solid and versatile technique, you can play anything. Recommended Books on Practicing: Musical Excellence: Strategies and Techniques by Aaron Williamon: This one is a bit thick to read but it’s filled with the best info, tips, studies and more. Read it a bit a time and over and over. It’s worth your time if you’re serious about improving at music.“Musical Excellence offers performers, teachers, and researchers, new perspectives and practical guidance for enhancing performance and managing the stress that typically accompanies performance situations. It draws together…the findings of

pioneering initiatives from across the arts and sciences.” (via publishers) The Art of Practicing by Madeline Bruser: Concert pianist Madeline Bruser shares her excellent thoughts on practicing stemming from her concert career and as a leading teaching in NYC… On Practicing by Ricardo Iznaola (see my review): A great little manual on how to practice well. Email

Share this:

Facebook 795

Twitter 13

Google +1

More

, Dr. Walter Mony, efficiency, feature, lessons & tips, Metronome, Practicing, problem solving, Scott Tennant, Victoria Conservatory of Music <

Practicing Scales: Versatility and Vitality

Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry: Piano Masterclass

One Response to The Difference Between Playing and Practicing Veeda Kala June 13, 2013 at 10:56 pm # Thank You So Much! I think this was what I needed the most right now. REPLY

Leave a Reply Enter your comment here...

Subscribe for Free Subscribe by RSS Subscribe by Email Facebook Google+ Twitter Curtir

1,1 mil

Pick of the week:

>

Ads & Sponsors

Advertise Here (Info)

Subscribe and follow Subscribe by RSS Subscribe by Email Facebook Google+ Twitter Curtir

1,1 mil

New reader? Start Here

Search Search...

Pages About Advertise on The Practicing Musician Archive Best Posts Free Music Lessons & Tips Free Sheet Music (PDF) Free Sheet Music for Piano (PDFs) Making Money as a Musician Music Theory Lessons Recommended Books for Musicians Reviews Score Study (videos and free sheet music) Subscribe to The Practicing Musician Write a guest post for The Practicing Musician

Categories Comics Guest Posts Hot Links Humor Lessons and Tips Make Money Masterclass Music Theory Lessons Practicing Professional Development Reviews Score Study Stay Positive Teaching & Pedagogy Video Lessons Videos Where are we now?

Top Posts & Pages The Difference Between Playing and Practicing

Quality practice sessions lead to better performances

Free Music Lessons & Tips

Practicing with a metronome - some pros, cons, and tips

Completing Goals When Practicing

Practicing Well: Positive Success Ratios

Practicing Scales: Versatility and Vitality

© Practicing Musician 2012 happy practicing!