How To Practice Pt. 1

Ahoy!

Knowing what to practice is fairly straightforward. There is an endless list of scales, arpeggios, etudes, technical exercises, and repertoire to learn. Take scales for example. There is not only the simple version, i.e. one octave up and down, but also playing the scale on the full range of your instrument, all the modes associated with the scale, playing it in 3rds, 4ths, 5ths, 6ths, and 7ths and the list goes on. This could all be for one major scale. There are 12 of those, and 3 forms of minor.

I find many young musicians asking me for advice on HOW to practice given the daunting amount of things to get to. Here’s a list of some principles to keep in mind. This is by no means exhaustive, and is simply what works for me. These principles have helped me over the years but you'll find that your practice routine will evolve. Try them out and tailor them to your needs.

1.      You have to put the time in.

This seems almost too obvious but there is no substitute for countless hours spent in the shed (the term I use for the practice room). Being consistent with your practice routine is crucial to making sure you’re progressing. SCHEDULE YOUR PRACTICE TIME! Treat practicing like a class or an appointment you can’t miss. Keep in mind putting in one hour every day is far better than seven hours in one day. And four hours every day will be all the better. If you’re in a collegiate environment you should be striving for 4-8 hours of practice a day.

2.      Stay organized and have attainable goals.

Keep a record of what you’re practicing; my time in the shed immediately became more effective when I started tracking what I was working on. I don’t have to remember what I did yesterday because it’s written down which means I can adapt my sessions better. Also, plan ahead. Figure out what scales/chords/arpeggios/rep you’re going to work on a month in advance. Below is a screen shot of a chart I made for one of my graduate courses. I knew what I needed to practice each week at the beginning of the semester so I created the chart to make sure I got to each thing every day. The patterns and ways I needed to know each scale/chord progression had many layers to it that I didn’t need to map out specifically but this gave me a broad overview of my week and made sure I was on track.

3.      Take Breaks.

During my time as an undergrad I practiced 4-6 hours a day. On summer breaks it was easily up to 8 hours a day. As a grad student it hovers much closer to the 4 hour mark. That doesn't mean that for 8 straight hours I have my bass in my hands. Taking breaks is a great reset point both for your body and mind. Focus Keeper is one app that I like to use to manage my practice time. It automatically sets “on” and “off” periods. You can tailor the exact numbers but for me it’s 50 minutes on and 10 off. During the 10 minutes off is when I allow myself to check my phone, take a walk around the halls, stretch, or do anything I feel helps my body recover and my mind to refocus.  

These are just three big factors to consider. Next week I’ll give you three more things to keep in mind as you schedule your time in, and out of, the shed.

Until next time,

Heard

HAVE YOU HEARD?
Between The Buried and Me- Coma Ecliptic

My first few albums have all been from the jazz side of my musical experience. It's time to start showing the diversity of my record collection and this album is at the top of the list. Since I discovered Coma it has been my favourite album. It is however, not for the faint of heart. It is a heavy and dense progressive metal concept album featuring beautifully sung melodies, periods of intense screaming, intricately woven guitar lines, bass lines that add depth to the harmony (instead of copying the guitars) and drums that will melt your face. This is the album that I compare all albums to and no matter what style of music you're used to listening to, this is a must have.