All practice is not created equal. There’s the practice that’s fun. You’re in a room with your instrument and maybe a few friends and you just start playing. The minutes fly by, but you’re not exactly working. Then there’s the practice that feels like homework. You’ve got a lesson or a concert coming up so you force yourself to learn scales, to play etudes, and to review the music for your upcoming performance. You keep looking at the clock, waiting to escape…
And then there’s the kind of practice that’s different. The practice where you begin with a goal and a list of items to focus on. When it’s over you feel like you’ve improved, you’re motivated and even inspired
This type of practice has purpose and direction. It’s productive and fulfilling, and it’s connected with the reason you chose to play music in the first place.
Sounds pretty good, right?
The only problem is this type of practice seems to be elusive for so many players. So much of the time we find ourselves going between the “fun” practice and the practice that feels like homework, either jamming with our peers or forcing ourselves to slog through exercises.
But how do you consistently create this third type of practice, the practice that the best players seem to have down to a science?
Well I thought I’d share 4 things that have helped me grow as a musician, 4 exercises that have shaped the direction I want to take as an improviser and I encourage you to do the same.
The truth is, the key to highly effective practice begins before you even step into the practice room. It begins right now as you’re reading this.
So let’s start at the beginning…
I. Where do you think you’re going?
Imagine that you’re standing in the middle of a long road that stretches across the landscape for miles and miles.
You stare intently into the distance and at the furthest edge of the horizon you can just barely make out a figure traveling on the road ahead of you.
As you strain your eyes to see who this person is you notice a familiar gait and an instrument case. You squint a little more and then it hits you, this person is you! It’s the “you” of the future.
The you that has traveled the road that you’re just starting out on.
In your mind you wonder: “What skills does this person to have? What can they do musically? How many tunes do they know? What do they sound like?”
For the first time you are confronted with the person you are going to become. The musician you’re going to be weeks, months, and even years from now.
If you want to find direction in your practice you need to think about this “you” of the future. You need to look ahead and figure out exactly who this person is going to be.
This is step one. By looking at the player you want to be tomorrow you’ll discover exactly what you need to practice today. So what is your musical destination?
Think hard about it. Where is this time that you’re spending with your instrument headed? You play your instrument every day or maybe a few times a week. Now what does it mean to you? Where do you want to go with it?
Before you worry about scales and chords, before you make a list of tunes to learn, and before you spend hours in the practice room, this is the question you need to answer.
Take a look at the big picture. You might say “I want to be able to go to a jam session and know every tune.” or “I want to perform with my own band.” or “I want to tour the world performing my original compositions.” or “I want to play at the Village Vanguard.”
It’s different for all of us. However once you know what you’re working toward, it’s much easier to find the practice plan that will get you there.
So stop practicing without direction, don’t even touch your instrument until you know what you’re practicing for. Instead take a moment and ask yourself: What do I want the me of the future to sound like?
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