To practice, or not to practice, that is the question. Well the answer should always be to practice! However, practicing can become boring, get you down, and sometimes even set you backward. Let’s discuss common practice problems, their solutions, and how to implement those solutions into your own practice.
Problem: I Don’t Have Enough Time
Many musicians with busy lives get bogged down when they commit to an unrealistic practice schedule. There’s no rule that says you won’t improve if you don’t practice a certain amount per day. Challenge yourself to prioritize smart practice over hard practice.
Solution: Set a realistic practice time.
Let’s take this scenario. You are a keyboardist and want to improve your improvisational skills, and you know you need to brush up on major scales. Do you think you’ll get better by practicing an hour one day and then not practicing the next three because you get too busy, or by staying consistent with practicing 15 minutes a day for four days? The latter will always yield better results.
Lesson: The best goal is a realistic one, not an ambitious one.
Challenge: Set the timer for a realistic time goal and practice. Force yourself to obey the timer. When the time is up, you are done — no more, no less.
Problem: I’m Not Consistent
This is a struggle that never ends. You may find yourself starting a practice session working on scales, and then five minutes later you’re seeing how fast you can play a piece you’ve already learned. This breakdown of focus is ineffective.
Solution: Set realistic goals.
Let’s revisit our scenario. Say you commit to 20 minutes of practice a day for five days a week. Your goal is to learn six or more keys in a week. By the end of the week, you see no real progress. This leads to practicing less the next couple of weeks until you become discouraged and stop. The issue is that this goal was unrealistic, even for 20 minutes a day. The other issue is the phrase “or more.” This means you set an approximate goal, rather than a specific one. Now you kind of know about six major scales and don’t have a real grasp on one. A more realistic goal would be to pick one or two scales and don’t move on until they’re solid.
Lesson: Find the peace and self-respect in being patient with yourself and knowing that it’s okay to take your time to learn something correctly, rather than quickly.
Challenge: Practice one thing during your designated time. It can be anything — a song, scale, technique, chord voicing, etc. Don’t stray from it until the timer is up. Then, as a reward, have a free play session afterward. Make this your fun time and play whatever you want.
Problem: Practice Is Boring
Practicing can be like driving a car. Remember how new and fun it was at 16 years old? Then you encounter such things as work commutes, car maintenance, tickets, etc. Practicing can also get boring when it doesn’t feel new anymore — excitement vanishes, and it starts to feel like the only things left are obstacles and the bland taste of routine.
Solution: Be creative in your practice.
Let’s go back to our scenario one more time. You already practice your scales up and down, loud, soft, with both hands, but you’re growing tired of practicing the same way. Solution? Add some creativity in your practice, especially because your ultimate goal is to become a better improviser. (A good improviser can take any given material, such as a scale, and use it to be creative and musical.)
Here are a few possibilities: Play the scale with an accent every third note, then fourth, fifth, etc. Start your right hand on the third, which puts your hands at the interval of a tenth. Make up a rhythm and run the entire scale with that rhythm. Arpeggiate the scale in seventh chords. Combine two or more of these together. As you can see, there is no limit when you practice creatively.
Lesson: Creativity should be present in performance and practice.
Challenge: Take whatever you’re working on this week and find a new way to practice it. Be like a kid in a sandbox and explore!