
- Send the spouse out for a long walk with the dog.
- Put on the phone on "do not disturb" setting
- Collect up your tools: pencil, recordings of your pieces, headset for listening, lesson notes, all your music.
- Review your lesson notes and ask, "what one thing can I fix or improve today?"
- Warmup by playing some old favourite to remind yourself you really are making progress.
- Now to practice! Having decided what one thing you will improve on today, have a listen to a professional recording of the problem area.
- Write in the fingering on every note next.
- Now playing as slow as needed, work through the section. If that is unsuccessful, ask your self why.
- notes?
- rhythm?
- fingering?
- playing too darn fast?
- bored?
- Cures for boredom:
- enjoy the journey, concentrating only on the goal can rob the immediate experience of joy.
- the goal of every musician is to practice, which means to live in the moment.
- slow down, so that you get used to hearing it played properly, otherwise your ears get used to hearing it played haltingly and awkwardly: have faith, slow practice really, really works.
David