The quality of your practice is far more significant than the quantity. The old chestnut "practice makes perfect" is only true if the practice itself is ideal. Here are 7 tips to help make your practice more efficient and effective.
Practice motions slowly
The muscly memory of our bodies permits us to physically carry out patterns of motion with little conscious participation. Examples of muscly memory include walking, riding a bicycle, typing, and obviously playing a musical instrument.
In order to develop this memory, the muscles need coaching in the form of repeated conscious guidance from the mind. First the mind must learn the pattern. Then the mind must "teach" the pattern to the muscles.
The mind at first must control all of the motions of the muscles. The more controlled and precise the motions, the more quickly the muscles will develop muscle memory.
Slow practice also permits the mind to teach "antagonistic muscles" to relax. Antagonistic muscles are the ones that move in opposite directions. By relaxing antagonistic muscles you can reduce tension and aid quicker and less complicated performance and avoid potential injury.
Practice in little cells
A "practice cell" is just a limited series of motions. Musical cells can correspond to anything from 1 or 2 notes to a complete work. When practicing, it is very important to practice tiny cells of only one or two notes. Practicing small cells boundaries the amount of information the muscles have to learn at one point. It also facilitates the mind's focus and concentration.
Link the end of one cell to the beginning of the next
To help the muscles develop a sense of continuum throughout the piece of music, the last motion in a cell should be the first motion of the following cell.
Practice each cell in bursts
Once the muscles have learned a pattern, they'll be capable of executing it without conscious control. Initiate the pattern thru a conscious command and allow the muscles to execute it in a burst.
Don't practice mistakes
For every repetition required to learn a pattern of motion, it takes 7 times the number of repetitions to modify the pattern. If in the course of your practice you make a blooper, stop. Review in your mind the pattern. And further reduce the speed of your motions.
Pause between repetitions
When coping with repetitive activities, the mind is more able to focus when the repetitions are broken up by short pauses. After two or three repetitions, pause for about 30 seconds to recover focus.
Take frequent breaks and don't "over-practice"
B.F. Skinner and other pros have discovered that the mind's ability to learn drops noticeably after extended intense concentration. Analysis shows that studying too long (i.e. More than 4 hours) can deplete chemicals in the brain necessary for learning. Therefore , it's best to take frequent breaks (a 5 minute break about every 20-25 minutes) and practice no more than 4 hours consecutively.
By utilising these methodologies, you can seriously improve the standard of your practice. You'll be able to employ your time better and increase the usefulness of your practice.
Practice motions slowly
The muscly memory of our bodies permits us to physically carry out patterns of motion with little conscious participation. Examples of muscly memory include walking, riding a bicycle, typing, and obviously playing a musical instrument.
In order to develop this memory, the muscles need coaching in the form of repeated conscious guidance from the mind. First the mind must learn the pattern. Then the mind must "teach" the pattern to the muscles.
The mind at first must control all of the motions of the muscles. The more controlled and precise the motions, the more quickly the muscles will develop muscle memory.
Slow practice also permits the mind to teach "antagonistic muscles" to relax. Antagonistic muscles are the ones that move in opposite directions. By relaxing antagonistic muscles you can reduce tension and aid quicker and less complicated performance and avoid potential injury.
Practice in little cells
A "practice cell" is just a limited series of motions. Musical cells can correspond to anything from 1 or 2 notes to a complete work. When practicing, it is very important to practice tiny cells of only one or two notes. Practicing small cells boundaries the amount of information the muscles have to learn at one point. It also facilitates the mind's focus and concentration.
Link the end of one cell to the beginning of the next
To help the muscles develop a sense of continuum throughout the piece of music, the last motion in a cell should be the first motion of the following cell.
Practice each cell in bursts
Once the muscles have learned a pattern, they'll be capable of executing it without conscious control. Initiate the pattern thru a conscious command and allow the muscles to execute it in a burst.
Don't practice mistakes
For every repetition required to learn a pattern of motion, it takes 7 times the number of repetitions to modify the pattern. If in the course of your practice you make a blooper, stop. Review in your mind the pattern. And further reduce the speed of your motions.
Pause between repetitions
When coping with repetitive activities, the mind is more able to focus when the repetitions are broken up by short pauses. After two or three repetitions, pause for about 30 seconds to recover focus.
Take frequent breaks and don't "over-practice"
B.F. Skinner and other pros have discovered that the mind's ability to learn drops noticeably after extended intense concentration. Analysis shows that studying too long (i.e. More than 4 hours) can deplete chemicals in the brain necessary for learning. Therefore , it's best to take frequent breaks (a 5 minute break about every 20-25 minutes) and practice no more than 4 hours consecutively.
By utilising these methodologies, you can seriously improve the standard of your practice. You'll be able to employ your time better and increase the usefulness of your practice.
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