We all play like we practice

“Private Practice Determines Public Performance” Carl Allen, December issue
of Downbeat Magazine

 “Start with the end in Mind” Stephen Covey, 7 Habits of  Highly Effective People

Tips on Practicing

I just finished reading Carl Allen’s article in the current issue of Downbeat  magazine. Carl, a drummer, reviews his philosophy of drumming. Most of it is  applicable to piano and guitar as well.

Inspired, I offer this.

• Listen to competent recordings of your pieces over a number of  days. This will cement in your head the sound you are looking for. The result is  that you know the end result and can then interpret the notation in front of you. Without this, you may never be quite sure if you nailed it or not.

We play like we practice, so…

1. Practice fully engaged: mentally and emotionally.
2. Remember, it has to be in muscle memory to be secure.
3. Practice slowly, listen deeply, be patient, and pay attention to the fine details from the start: articulations, dynamics, phrasing, tone, etc.
4. Tempo will come later.
5. Imagine you have to play publicly in a week. Then tackle the pesky bits first. :-)

Cheers,
David Story
www.davidstory.ca

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