The old proverb "practice makes perfect" would possibly not be wholly true when it comes to violin practice, but practice actually does make you a better player. If you'd like to become better you need to practice.
Violin practice should be great fun and not a bore, but it must be productive too. Simply playing a handful of tunes you know by heart isn't truly practice, though it could be fun. In order to get the maximum out of your practice time you should try and keep 1 or 2 points in mind.
Try and find an area to practice where you will not be distracted. Finding a room without a TV, Internet access, for example. Is probably an excellent start, and letting the ansaphone pick up any phone calls will help. Be sure that you have what you want readily to hand. Glaringly, things like your violin and bow, a music stand and sheet music for any tunes you wish to work on, but less glaringly, a metronome and a recorder of some kind (audio only or auvio/video). A bottle of water or other drink is optional.
Violin practice is best done with quality rather than quantity. You do not need to practice for hours every day, but you must try and practice at least three or 4 times per week. Spending hours on violin practice in each session can actually be counter productive. You do not learn well if you are too exhausted or frustrated. You'll learn better by spacing out sessions. Repetition is a nice thing. The more that you work on a similar thing the better you will get at it - though not all at the same time. Violin practice works best over time. Rather than working on one section of a piece for hours at a time, you will find you have better results if you work on the section for a couple of minutes, and then switch to something else. Maybe revisiting it again later in your practice session, but better yet let it sink in and try it again in your next practice session. I've found that I'm able to be working on a piece and just get exasperated in an attempt to get it right and then the next day it all fits into place easily.
If you are learning a new piece, break it down into sections. Break it into logical
Violin practice should be great fun and not a bore, but it must be productive too. Simply playing a handful of tunes you know by heart isn't truly practice, though it could be fun. In order to get the maximum out of your practice time you should try and keep 1 or 2 points in mind.
Try and find an area to practice where you will not be distracted. Finding a room without a TV, Internet access, for example. Is probably an excellent start, and letting the ansaphone pick up any phone calls will help. Be sure that you have what you want readily to hand. Glaringly, things like your violin and bow, a music stand and sheet music for any tunes you wish to work on, but less glaringly, a metronome and a recorder of some kind (audio only or auvio/video). A bottle of water or other drink is optional.
Violin practice is best done with quality rather than quantity. You do not need to practice for hours every day, but you must try and practice at least three or 4 times per week. Spending hours on violin practice in each session can actually be counter productive. You do not learn well if you are too exhausted or frustrated. You'll learn better by spacing out sessions. Repetition is a nice thing. The more that you work on a similar thing the better you will get at it - though not all at the same time. Violin practice works best over time. Rather than working on one section of a piece for hours at a time, you will find you have better results if you work on the section for a couple of minutes, and then switch to something else. Maybe revisiting it again later in your practice session, but better yet let it sink in and try it again in your next practice session. I've found that I'm able to be working on a piece and just get exasperated in an attempt to get it right and then the next day it all fits into place easily.
If you are learning a new piece, break it down into sections. Break it into logical
sections four or 8 bars at a time and then move on rather than attempting the entire thing immediately. Listed to a recording of some other person playing the same tune. Listen for the accents and flavour the other player adds to the tune. Don't just attempt to play music as it is written, add your own interpretation. You can play all the same note, but play them differently - it's a refined excellence, but you can actually hear the difference.
A good way to approach violin practice is to begin with a warm up of some sort. Some fast scales, arpeggios or exercises are good to start with. I find I have a couple of arpeggio exercises that I have a tendency to run thru extremely swiftly at the beginning of any practice session. I then run thru a tune or two that I know by heart before buckling down to learn something new. I often practice only for 20 or 30 minutes at a time, but I do incline to pick up an instrument more than one during the day.
To prompt yourself to practice violin, keep your instrument near you and out of the case. Keep it near your desk or couch. You can pick up a cheap stand for your violin that will allow you to keep it close at hand and safe from damage. You may not pick it up for a full practice session, but you might find it convenient for a fast mini practice when time allows.
Remember when you do practice violin, make it fun. If you're tired or simply don't feel like it - put it off. Don't force yourself to practice violin if you don't like it. You won't learn well if it seems like work. Work on your violin practice, do not work at it.
About the Author:
A good way to approach violin practice is to begin with a warm up of some sort. Some fast scales, arpeggios or exercises are good to start with. I find I have a couple of arpeggio exercises that I have a tendency to run thru extremely swiftly at the beginning of any practice session. I then run thru a tune or two that I know by heart before buckling down to learn something new. I often practice only for 20 or 30 minutes at a time, but I do incline to pick up an instrument more than one during the day.
To prompt yourself to practice violin, keep your instrument near you and out of the case. Keep it near your desk or couch. You can pick up a cheap stand for your violin that will allow you to keep it close at hand and safe from damage. You may not pick it up for a full practice session, but you might find it convenient for a fast mini practice when time allows.
Remember when you do practice violin, make it fun. If you're tired or simply don't feel like it - put it off. Don't force yourself to practice violin if you don't like it. You won't learn well if it seems like work. Work on your violin practice, do not work at it.
About the Author:
Greg Weir is a fiddle (violin) player from Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada. Greg runs the Violin Price website, a web resource for people interested in learning, playing or collecting violins. Visit http://violinprice.org/ for more information on violins, violin value and violin and fiddle music.Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6777584