Friday, October 1, 2010

Music Lessons - 7 Tips For Effective Musical Practice

By Aikednea Johansen

The quality of your practice is a lot more vital than the quantity. The old saying "practice makes perfect" is only true if the practice per se is ideal. Listed here are 7 tips to help make your practice much more effective and efficient.

Practice motions slowly

The muscular memory of our bodies permits us to physically carry out patterns of motion with little or no conscious involvement. Good examples of muscular memory consist of walking, riding a bicycle, typing, and of course playing a musical instrument.

In order to cultivate this memory, the muscles require training in the form of repeated conscious guidance from the mind. First, the mind must learn the pattern. Then, the mind should "teach" the pattern to the muscles.

Slow practice also permits the mind to teach "antagonistic muscles" to relax. By relaxing antagonistic muscles, you are able to minimize tension and help in faster and much easier performance and avoid potential injury.

Practice in small cells

A "practice cell" is merely a finite series of motions. Musical cells can match anything from a couple of notes to an entire work. When practicing, it's important to practice small cells of just a couple of notes. Practicing small cells confines the quantity of info the muscles need to learn at one time. It likewise facilitates the mind's focus and concentration.

Practice each cell in bursts

Once the muscles have learned a pattern, they'll be capable of executing it without conscious control. Initiate the pattern through a conscious command and allow the muscles to execute it in a burst.

Do not practice mistakes

For every repetition needed to learn a pattern of motion, it requires seven times the number of repetitions to change the pattern. If in the path of your practice you make an error, stop. Review in your mind the pattern. And further reduce the speed of your motions.

Pause between repetitions

When working with repetitive activities, the mind is much better in a position to concentrate when the repetitions are separated by short pauses. After two or three repetitions, pause for about 30 seconds to regain focus.

Take regular breaks and do not "over-practice"

B.F. Skinner and other experts have discovered that the mind's ability to learn declines significantly right after extended intense focus. Research shows that studying extended periods (i.e. greater than four hours) can deplete chemicals in the brain essential for learning. Therefore, it's best to take frequent breaks (a 5 minute break around every 20-25 minutes) and practice no more than 4 hours consecutively.

By using these techniques, you can dramatically improve the quality of your practice. You'll be ready to use your time more effectively and increase the effectiveness of your practice.


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