How to Practice

In learning a piece of music, it is far more beneficial to remain in the learning process than to try and force results.  You enjoy the process more and end up accomplishing more than you would by trying to obtain results at all costs.  I believe most people would agree, but it is easy to slip into a goal oriented mentality, such as trying to move as quickly as possible through the repertoire.

One obstacle to process oriented practice is the drive to simply learn more notes.  It is easy for all of us to get into the mindset that being further along in the repertoire will make us better cellists.  That is not the case.  Practicing with correct habits will lay a foundation for more difficult techniques that are required in more advance repertoire.

Another obstacle to process oriented practice is a lack of focus.  Often, it will come in the form of self talk.  It could either be inner commentary about the state of the piece.  Or, it could be in the form of any distracting thought that is not about the process of learning the piece.  When self talk becomes to frequent, it helps me if I stop and remind myself of the aspect of cello playing I’m exploring through learning the piece.

Another problem is getting into a practice rut; a boring mindless routine.  You can get into a pattern of repeating a passage in the same manner without thinking about what you are doing.  Then, it becomes very difficult to change.  The solution is to practice a bit less and to only practice thoughtfully.  Not only will you make genuine improvement, but your practice will be more interesting.

The benefits of process oriented practice are that you enjoy practicing and you build a solid foundation that will last.  So why not slow down and enjoy the process?

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