#PracticeMakesPerfect
Like any art form, I think we can agree that music practice is never done. Why would I say that? Mastery of a piece is so much more than technical facility and accuracy. As we develop, learn, and grow, so should our creative interpretations and understanding of the great masterworks and contemporary works. My teacher, János Starker, and many other great artists agree that there is no “top”; there is always room for improvement. New ideas, when they come to us, might entail utilising different dynamics, phrasings, or expressions, with fresh fingerings and bowings, altered breathing and timing, and painting distinctive sound colours. I can remember so many times when I’ve returned to a piece I’ve not played for a while, having aha moments and saying to myself, “Why didn’t I think of that before?” This lifelong quest is always inspiring and fascinating.
There is only so much time to practice. With busy schedules of lessons, juries, auditions, rehearsals, and concerts, learning to practice efficiently is paramount.

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We need to learn how to ‘be our own teachers’, and to analyse what needs to be done to polish a piece or to upgrade our technique. Here are 10 Practice Hacks to get you started that will transform your playing with deliberate and effective practice!
1. Implement a practice plan with a clear goal. Allocate your time wisely, budgeting time to warm up and for taking breaks. Make a list of the pieces or sections you need to work on and categorise them according to their demands or according to those you know fairly well and those that are new to you. For example, put the left-hand intensive works in one column and the right-hand intensive music in another. Sometimes, the pieces are both, so put the slower, less challenging or familiar works in column 1 and the faster, more difficult or new works in 2. Alternate from columns 1 and 2. The different challenges in each column ensure you will use different muscles and prevent tiring out one specific group of muscles.
2. Avoid mindless repetition. Isolate and analyse tricky passages. Listen very carefully, asking these and other questions:
Why isn’t this fluid? Are my shifts too jerky or sudden? Are my string crossings too angular? Are my bow changes too audible? Does the fingering need to be changed? Is my bow speed too fast (resulting in a breathy or unfocused sound) or too slow (resulting in a sound that is too gritty or squeezed)? Is the contact point too high, slipping onto the fingerboard so the sound isn’t focused, or is it too close to the bridge (resulting in a sound that is too coarse)? Is the coordination between the left and right hand working? Is the articulation clear? Am I playing with a beautiful sound? Am I maintaining the quality of sound or tone colour throughout a melodic phrase?
3. Practice slowly with utmost patience. Working on hands separately can often illuminate a problem. Figure out what might not be working. Are you playing all the indications that are in the score accurately—the dynamics, the rhythm, the articulation, and the phrasing? Listen for a steady tempo. Work with a metronome to make certain no unplanned freedoms or rubatos, or irregularities are creeping in. It’s not uncommon for us to rush some passages and slow down when the going gets tough. Don’t try to learn too many works at once. You will learn more by concentrating on how to polish a piece to the best of your abilities.
4. Be mindful of compromising positions. Release extensions, awkward stretches, double stops or chords as soon as you can. Minimise reaching for keys and time spent in unnatural positions. Release all non-playing fingers. A fast technique is due to lifting fingers quickly, not on downward pressure.
5. Practice away from your instrument. This is so important. Your brain is remarkable and often can learn just as well when you’re not physically doing the playing! Study the music visually. This is effective for memorisation too. Sing it aloud or in your head the way you imagine you’d like to play it or how a singer would sing it. Picture effortlessness.
6. Record yourself. When we are physically involved in playing, especially something we are struggling with, we might not hear well what is happening. Recording yourself is not only effective, it also gives your body a break.
7. Watch yourself in a mirror. This strategy can be very helpful to help determine why something isn’t sounding well. Sometimes we become so accustomed to the way we’ve been playing that we aren’t even aware that we might be raising our shoulders, cocking our head, twisting our torso, or noticing whether our bow is straight or migrating between the bridge and fingerboard.
8. Choose appropriate repertoire. We all aspire to play the great masterworks, such as Dvořák Cello Concerto or Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto. But attempting music we are not technically and emotionally ready for is frustrating and ultimately discouraging. The opening of Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 1 in D-flat, for example, is deceptive. “I can play that,” you think. But in one minute, it explodes into almost unplayable fireworks!
Sergei Prokkofiev: Piano Concerto No. 1 in D-Flat Major, Op. 10 – I. Allegro brioso (Boris Berman, piano; Concertgebouw Orchestra; Neeme Järvi, cond.)
9. Find a practice buddy. Sharing always helps. Sometimes, we are so involved with the physical act of producing that we don’t hear ourselves accurately. Set a goal to practice with someone once a month, taking turns to hear and listen to each other. Offer constructive comments and share practice strategies.
10. Take 10 minutes to enjoy playing. Make music playing something you love allowing yourself to soar with long lines, beautiful tone, and expressiveness. This piece is a favorite for me to play when I conclude practicing.
Gabriel Fauré: Après un rêve, Op. 7: No. 1. Après un rêve (arr. P. Casals) (Mats Rondin, cello; Staffan Scheja, piano)
Notice your progress and how good you sound. “Reinforce your strengths. Feel good about what is going well, name that strength, and refill your tank as a musician,” says Hilary Hahn, the wonderful violinist, someone who has shared practice strategies in her #100daysofpractice for eight seasons.
When we practice well, we thrive and improve. Then, we can play with better musicians, connect to the world through music, and enrich our audiences more successfully.
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