Quick Fix Friday: “Trendy” Practicing

Happy Friday! (and an extra happy Friday to everyone who is off for holidays the rest of the year!)

Today’s Quick Fix is something that will help you maximize your practice routine and improve efficiency. I’ve noticed a lot of students have developed the habit of spending an inordinate amount of time “correcting” what I call one-off mistakes. These can be anything from a random missed note, squeak, rhythmic error, or anything else you’ve never missed before. While it’s important to review anything you are uncertain about during your practice session, don’t neglect to spend time on repeat issues.

The quick fix?

Practice according to trends.

What this means: Take a second to identify the passages, sections, or fundamentals where you consistently make mistakes. After you’ve identified these “trends” which consistently give you issues, create a practice plan to identify ways you can improve these sections. Focus on identifying the underlying issues which cause you to consistently make mistakes, then implement a strategy to practice and improve these.

So, don’t spend too much time worrying about one-off mistakes which are not likely to happen again. Instead, locate and identify common trends in your playing (i.e. “I still can’t play the rhythm in that measure” or “The section in G-flat major still feels/sounds clunky.”).

Happy practicing!