WELCOME TO HOW TO PRACTISE
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Looking for some help with your music practice? Then you've come to the right place. Weather you play guitar, piano, flute or kazoo we can help you practice more effectively.
Simply fill in the form below and click submit and we will get back to you with some specific advice for your situation. The advice is free and we really hope it will help you in acheiving your musical dreams - you may even be lucky enough to be featured in our practice clinic.
Enjoy your practice 
42If you find yourself losing motivation stop practising for a moment. This is a perfect time to review your goals. Re-read your goals and make sure that they are what you really desire.
Thanks to Graham English for the tip off on this one 
 Photo courtesy of DerrickT |
For advanced memorisation (no instrument needed here!)
Choose a section of music - something you've played already or something new and spend some time just looking at it, noting every detail.
When you have done this several times close the music & try to write it out on manuscript paper.
Check it against the original, and score one point for every dot, dynamic or element that you have missed. The idea is to get the lowest score possible.
When I started this blog 3 years ago it was very difficult to find anything about the subject of music practice online. Fortunately this is slowly changing. Below are links to 50 sites and articles on music practice. Some are pure practice sites (we like those ) and others are instrumental sites that touch on practice.
These are the sites I have found. If you know of any others I would really, really like to hear about them. Please share in the comments section or find me on twitter @howtopractise. Read More . . .
This review first appeared in The Trombonist, magazine of the British Trombone Society
Former principle trumpet with the LSO, Howard Snell, tackles a subject about which many assumptions are often made - most frequently that musicians instinctively know how to do it well. His experience of teaching at the Royal Academy of Music has shown Snell that conservatoire students not only require lessons on their chosen instrument but also in the art of practice. This book distils his teachings on practice into a single easy to read volume. Although firmly aimed a music college students those not at conservatoire level and those past this stage already in the profession will find much of value here. Read More . . .
If you're anything like me, this is not a question you ask yourself very often. Usually it's intrument out, and off . . . .
Jammin'
You're cool, you're free, you don't follow anyones rules. Rules are for losers man! Your rehearsal consists of exploring ideas, going with the groove and having fun.
Practisin'
You put the music on the stand, just like your music teacher told you to. You then practice your scales, again like teacher said. You play through your pieces following the notes and markings as closely as you can trying to get everything perfect.
Thinkin'
It's worth stopping a while every so often to think about what it is you are doing when you jam or practice. Read More . . .
Everyone has moments, or days, when they don't feel like practicing but know they must.
Bruser, Madeline., The Art of Practicing (Bell Tower, 1997), p.139
During last nights practice chat a couple of people mentioned the use of a spinner as a good way to choose scales. This is an idea I've had for a couple of years - in fact I made up some spinners using card and a cocktail stick!
I have attached the template to the bottom of this post. Each spinner has 12 sides - not enough to cover all keys so therefore I created two. One has more sharp keys, the other more flat ones.
I hope you find them useful, I will post a practice method and quick vid to go with this later Read More . . .
