Tips For Practicing Your Instrument
What To Practice
- Warm up very carefully, using long tones on all the notes you know. Right from the beginning try to play a 'nice sound' for up to 20 seconds. Blow air through the instrument first, and move all keys, valves and slides. Moisten reeds properly.
- Remember: POSTURE, POSITION, EMBOUCHURE, BREATHING
- Concert band music
- before playing the piece, look for notes you don’t know the fingering for and look them up on the fingering chart
- count the rhythms carefully, clapping and counting out loud if it helps
- look for other musical signs that will affect how you play
- play other songs that you have already learned, especially the ones that you like. Get other music you like and play that too.
- complete each session by making sure your instrument is left clean and in good working condition.
How To Practice
- Select a time of day that will be as free as possible from interruptions and try to use this time or one similar every day of the week.
- Choose a place where there will be freedom from distractions. Use a music stand!
- Do not practice in front of the T.V. set while the family is watching or in the kitchen while someone is preparing a meal.
- Be self-critical. Isolate troublesome passages or exercises and work on them using the following suggestions:
- reduce the speed until the difficulty is overcome
- play the section until you can play the passage 3 times in a row perfectly, then gradually increase the speed.
- repeat over and over at tempo, but only if the repetition is correct!!
- Never try to develop speed at the expense of accuracy. Practice Slowly! Be Accurate!
- Short and frequent sessions are better than one or two long home practice sessions!
- Every individual does not have to practice the same amount of time. Work for results - not time on the clock.
