 My top five tips for practicing any musical instrument:
 Theory
If you would like help, call me. David Revised March 2023 
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 At some point in your musical development, you may have the opportunity to practice four or more hours a day. If you do, please don’t spend the four hours doing scales and other repetitive tasks. You will injure yourself.
Here is a list of activities you can pursue when you are not playing with recordings on YouTube or transcribing recordings on YouTube or creating roadmaps of tunes you are listening to on YouTube. Repertoire
Listening and analysis aka road mapping.
Ear training
If you would like help, call me. David revised 2024 How I Prepare to Learn Or Teach A New Piece of Music: Haydn Sonata in C And Bourrée in F By Telemann1/8/2021 When I take on a new piece of music of any complexity I will go through some or all the following steps. My goal is to have a clear artistic impression of the piece before I begin. 1. Compare the different scores available to me. 2. Seek out professional recordings. 3. Print the music as I will be marking it up. 4. Study the form and phrasing of the work. Sometimes, as in the Telemann I will mark in the phrasing. 5. I will consider the era in which it was written for clues on possible interpretations. 6. I translate any unfamiliar terms I find in the score. 7. I might consult other sources to explore the style and era of its creation. For the Sonata in C, I enjoyed re-reading the section on Haydn ornaments in the book below. 8. I will listen to multiple professional performances and mark on the score ideas of interest. I often will slow down a recording to hear how the artist plays their ornaments. 9. I might consult with a colleague or my piano coach as well. In short, I will have a clear set of ideas, those I discovered and my own, to explore as I now start to "learn" the piece. I will share these with my students. If I can help you discover intriguing world of classical music, please call me. David  
 
  Know more than the notes. Exploring the questions of sociological context, compositional techniques, recorded history and more will add depth and sophistication to your playing and security to your memorization. Click on the picture for more, or for the "science" click the link. Here is a simple example: 1st Movement of Sonata in F minor op. 1 Who created it? Beethoven, German Romantic era composer 1770–1827 When and where was it created? 1795 Vienna Austria Why and for whom was it created? Dedicated to his teacher Joseph Haydn. Apparently it was his first publicly published work. What does it sound or look like? Dramatic opening rocket type theme of the tonic, then dominant chord announces that there is a "new kid in town". Great dynamic contrasts throughout the movement keep us focused. A composition of a young man. What kind of structure or form does it have? Classic Sonata Form What is its subject? The interplay is between the 2 main themes in the exposition and their development through many key centers. What is being expressed? Youthful exuberance, drama and compositional skill demonstration of the classical era style. What techniques did its creator use to help us understand what is being expressed?
David  Ten hours plus a week on your instrument. Is this possible? Yes, maybe.
There are some adults and many teenagers who log more than 10 hours a week.
They are united by an intense desire to learn and achieve. Their lives are organized around practice. They take lessons, they take responsibility, and they persevere through thick and thin. Some final thoughts. If you want to ramp it up, do it slowly to avoid injury. Add a 10% to your practice time each week. Be sure to ask advice from your instructors. Best David Story You will be recording your practice sessions. The equipment needed for your practice session includes a professional recording of your work, pencil and eraser, cell phone equipped with a recording app, and earbuds. The first step is listening to a professional performance of your piece. If it is short, listen to it all. If it’s long, listen to the part you will be working on. Watch the score while listening. The second step involves writing the fingerings on every note in the piece. A key step is to use the editor’s suggestions as a starting place; you fill in the missing fingerings. The third step is to record yourself playing slow enough to execute the expression markings and fingering patterns before you while visualizing, in your mind, the professional recording. Now, listen back to your effort and assess yourself while watching the score. Now with your corrections in mind repeat the recording, playing, and assessment steps. I practice this way to prepare music for the Toronto Concert Band. I hope this helps! Updated May 2023  |
You've got to learn your instrument. Then, you practice, practice, practice. And then, when you finally get up there on the bandstand, forget all that and just wail. AuthorI'm a professional pianist and music educator in West Toronto Ontario. I'm also a devoted drum set and mallet percussionist. Categories
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