Getting started with the metronome
…and the stages that we go through as we learn to use it.
I can hear some of you at the eye-gym having a roll all the way into the back of your head at the sound of the word metronome. Yeah, I know, we all go through a bunch of stages in our relationship with the metronome in our musical journey. I see it all the time, and I’ve been there myself - let’s talk about it.
How to learn difficult parts in music easily - break it down!
This is my most suggested practice strategy that I go over with students, and also one that I think we tend to forget about the most when we’re faced with a difficult passage in our music:
Disassemble the passage to its most basic form, and then build it back up piece by piece.
Practice journal reflections for musicians: finding joy and play
As musicians, it can be so easy to fall into the trap of constant improvement, and perfectionism that we often forget to find the joy in what we do…we “play” an instrument, so why can’t we make practice it fun?
Thoughts from a recovering perfectionist: don’t forget the good when you critique yourself
When someone asks you to reflect on a performance or playing in a lesson or practice or rehearsal - you go straight to what can be improved, right? It feels so weird, maybe a little boastful to mention anything you liked about whatever the situation was, right? Try acknowledging what went well, because we don’t level up unless something goes well.
Three practice tips for musicians that will break your brain
Do you ever practice something over and over and everything is going well, but then you hit a wall in your practice? Or something throws you off when you’re out of the practice room? Or just bored of the same practice strategies?
I have a few practice strategies for musicians that are definitely character building. In other words, they feel like they’re breaking your brain. What’s actually happening is strengthening the fortress around your skill by building the skill from different approaches and angles than what we’re used to as musically inclined practice room dwellers.