Tempo isn’t everything
Stop worrying about tempo so much.
“But I can play it at tempo” - yeah, and you’re missing half the notes, you’re not including a lot of the details written on the page, and you have no room to add your own flavour because you’re just chasing the metronome.
This is something that is relatively common - we want to play fast, and for some reason we think we’ve nailed a piece if we can play it up to tempo…even if that means sacrificing everything else, or even just ignoring everything else. I was once victim to that mentality, and it did me absolutely zero favours. In fact, back then I just had frustrating practice room days, and teachers telling me that a slightly slower tempo is okay as long as it’s musical.
My thoughts on this are - if you’re just playing fast notes, and you’re omitting things like dynamics, phrasing, nuance, character, etc, then you’re not playing the piece - you’re just chasing a metronome. This is regardless of if you sound like you’re struggling with technique at the tempo you chose - if you’re not giving the soul of the music, then you’re not playing the piece properly.
Would you rather listen to something at break-neck speed but robotic, or would you rather be captivated by something with heart, but is just slightly under in tempo? Would you like to have the flexibility to be spontaneous and deliver something inspired in the moment when you perform?
Here’s what can help:
Don’t underestimate the importance of slow practice. Practice the piece slowly - maybe not at a snail’s pace, but practice it slow enough that you have time to read ahead, think, react, and play every detail on the page. That might be slower than what you’d like, but if you can’t play it faster with all those things, you can’t play it faster.
Record yourself practicing with the metronome. Are you falling behind? Are you omitting details? Listen with a critical ear and adjust as necessary - BUT think as though you’re giving constructive criticisms to a friend.
Side quest: I’ve discussed this in previously - to take a neutral stance on mistakes, as we are often quite judgemental of ourselves, and the point is to not fall into the spiral of shame and guilt. Mistakes are not bad, they just are - the way to overcome them is to acknowledge them and problem solve. Also, find the things you like about your playing as well.
Practice in chunks - not just a couple bars, but segment the piece itself into manageable mini pieces, and organize your practice around those. If you’re able to analyze the form of the piece, that will help with this - but if that’s got you lost, this might help get you on the path to be able to do that as well.
If you’re like me and some of the markings tend to blend together, try using colour on a copy of it to help the details pop. I do this with ensemble music, and anything else I have to learn quickly. I colour code dynamics, tempo changes, key and time changes, expression markings, when to switch to a different instrument, etc. It’s a lot easier in my opinion than seeing a mistake circled 30 times in the same colour as the other print on the page, and still not paying attention to the circled issue.
There’s so much more that can help in the learning and practicing process so you don’t sacrifice the music for the beats per minute. Don’t get attached to a number, being able to be in the moment in a performance and still present a piece with expression and soul is so much more worth it. It’s not a race, and we are not robots. It’s so much more interesting as an audience member to be captivated by something musical and inspired, but slightly slower, and as a performer it is everything.
If you’re looking for a flute teacher, wanting to try music lessons, or looking to add more tools and mindfulness to your practice I have space available in my online studio. I have a lot of options to choose from, so if you’d like to work with me, but would like to chat about your interests and goals, let me know by clicking here and we can see what’s a right fit for you.