What qualifies as 'PRACTICE'?

Yesterday I listened to a masterclass with the great Ron Carter (bassplayer with Miles Davis's 60's quintet). At one point he was asked what and how he practices... Yes, he does still practice daily, even after having played on over 2500 recordings and at the tender age of 75.

One of the things he said really made sense to me... it's super obvious, maybe so obvious that we sometimes overlook it... YOU HAVE ONLY PRACTISED IF YOU TOOK SOMETHING YOU COULDN'T DO PROPERLY AND YOU GOT IT RIGHT. This doesn't mean you have to perfect a really difficult piece at performance tempo every time you practice, but it does mean you should be able to describe what you ACHIEVED in your practice session, and not just talk in general terms about what you worked-on. For example, 'I practised improvisation for an hour and scales for 30 minutes' is not a valid description of practice. 'I worked on improvising on "Rhythm changes" to learn to deal with the chords on the B section and I found 5 new ways to get through the section and it took me an hour' is a good, measurable evaluation of the time you spent.

If you find yourself 'noodling' on your instrument during 'practice time' something is wrong with your approach. Practice is about ensuring constant and consistent progress. Great focus is required in order to ensure that your time is used in as beneficial a manner as is possible, because there are not enough hours in the day to mess around.

If you are truly dedicated to making a statement on your instrument then your time MUST be organised and geared towards positive change in your playing. If it is, then you are PRACTISING.    

Practising Part 2: Environmental factors

Today's post on practising is about something that one almost never considers when thinking about how to practice well, but it impacts on your efficiency and effectiveness perhaps more than anything else... it is the ENVIRONMENT in which you practice.

As soon as you begin to think about it it makes total sense. Being comfortable, focussed and organised would obviously make a huge difference to how well you use your time, and when time is short you can't afford to waste some of it because you are fighting against external distractions. The goal here is to create an uninterrupted 'flow' of productivity.

My approach to achieving a productive practice space is to make sure the place where I will practice is (fairly) tidy, quiet (this includes the 'no cellphone while practising' rule, and the 'don't talk to me when I'm practising' rule), the lighting-level is appropriate, and that everything I need for my particular tasks is at arm's reach so I don't have to scratch around in drawers to find the right material once I'm in my 'flow'. I also like to take something to drink into my room with me, especially if it's a hot day, as proper hydration is vital for maximum brain-function. Wearing comfortable clothing also helps greatly in feeling at ease.

I find that if I can get all of these things right before I begin my practice time is less frustrating as I am able to concentrate fully on what I am doing for the full time that I have scheduled - and that is really the goal of practising well.

Until next time, take care and practice well!

Andrew

Practice makes... BETTER! (but only if you do it right)

One of the 'catch-phrases' we hear all the time is 'practice makes perfect'. A lot of the time this simply isn't true. Practising something doesn't necessarily make one perform a task 'perfectly', and I have often become discouraged by hours and hours of practice because I do not even begin to get a glimpse of the perfection I believe I am supposed to attain.  

We practice because we want to get better, and that is guaranteed if the practising is done right and done often. 

What is encouraging to me is that getting incrementally better - improving - at a given task is something that can be measured. I find this much more beneficial than getting down on myself every day because the thing I'm working on STILL isn't 'perfect'. I'm very content to just get a little bit better every day because I believe that the process will eventually get me to where I need to be if I stick to it. 

Over the next little while I will be posting tips to the approach to practising that I subscribe to. I believe in it because it has worked for hundreds of years for thousands of musicians, and it's working for me right now. 

I'll end-off this post with a thought from the great Jeff Berlin really makes sense to me. He said: 'Progress in music is like watching your hair grow. You can't necessarily see the growth every day, and then one day you look in the mirror and it's time for a haircut'. 

Check out the new look blog!

Hey guys and gals!

Check out the 'revamped for 2012' blog!

I think it looks pretty awesome... just one of the advantages to having a tech-savvy wife :)

Now you can see my photos, check out my YouTube channel and more from the blog home page.

Will be hitting you with a new post tomorrow, so until then

Take care!
Andrew

New YouTube channel!

Hey y'all!

Just a quick one to let you know I have a YouTube channel now, and will be posting videos of my music, some educational stuff, and some gear reviews as regularly as time allows.

Check out my first video, a solo piccolo bass piece called 'A Week of Friendship'.

Take care!
Andrew