… so long as I get somewhere!

"Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"
"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat.
"I don’t much care where--" said Alice.
"Then it doesn’t matter which way you go," said the Cat.
~Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Students ask me what they should practice, how they should practice, when they should practice …

Here's the thing about practice: It is a very individualized pursuit, most effectively designed by YOU to get YOU where YOU want to go. "Progress" means different things to different people. How would you define progress in your own musical endeavors, today?

• mastering a new tune arrangement?
• playing your favorite fiddle tune up to speed?
• successfully playing backup during a jam session?
• learning that tricky right hand root arpeggio pattern?
• etc, etc, etc

Whatever the goal, it's important to have one (or three)! Then, make a practice plan that will get you where you want to be. The Cheshire Cat would say, if you don't know where you're going it doesn't much matter what you do in your practice. While it may be true that doing anything is better than doing nothing … you're bound to accomplish something … if you intentionally gear your practice toward accomplishment of your goals, you will grow in the direction of your dreams.

Monday's Muse

"How often do you practice, and for how long?

Mastering music is more than learning technical skills. Practicing is about quality, not quantity. Some days I practice for hours; other days it will be just a few minutes. Practicing is not only playing your instrument, either by yourself or rehearsing with others — it also includes imagining yourself practicing. Your brain forms the same neural connections and muscle memory whether you are imagining the task or actually doing it."  ~ Yo-Yo Ma

True Confession

My personal practice has been "on hold" since December 11.

Don't get me wrong. I've "played" my instrument. I've seen students. I've prepared for their lessons. But I've not "practiced" in weeks!

You might ask, "What's the difference between playing and practicing?" Here's an excerpt from a post I recently read on the Practicing Musician blog, (editor/owner - Bradford). It gives you an idea of how playing and practicing are two distinctly different activities.

Playing: This is when you enjoy the hard work you’ve put into practicing, that is, you just play. When you play you are really concerned with only one thing: the experience. You might pay small attention to technique and musicality but for the most part you are just ‘going for it’ and letting your musical training and inspiration run free. This is not really practicing. When you are playing you are not able to improve anything, you simply test out or try to execute the material.

Practicing: Practicing is when you are actually solving problems, that is, you are finding weaknesses and defects in your musicality that are either caused by technique, interpretation, reading, or how you envision the piece of music. You then set about fixing the problems and improving yourself as a musician. So the rule is that when you practice you identify a problem and set about fixing it. Clarity is key to good practice. Think about when a music teacher critiques a student, they have to clearly state what the problem is and then offer up a solution. You must be your own teacher when you practice.

Click here to read the entire article. I hope it will inspire lots of practice time in the new year!