We are often told to practice regularly.

However, we are not told how.

How do you practice?

I'm not used to this. My teacher helps me work out what I'm supposed to be doing and if not I try to. Sometimes it needs experiment so I don't go far until I'm sure of myself. It takes a long time to unpractice something that turns out wrong.
How can it be practice if you don't know how to practice?

A

I'm interested in what other people do. I have my own methods, but I'm interested in how people approach things. For example, there was one person I met who would always practice at 1/4 tempo, which is totally different from what I do. I would like to see new approaches, and the internet is the best place to look.

QUOTE (david_t @ Dec 22 2004, 11:49 AM)

For example, there was one person I met who would always practice at 1/4 tempo, which is totally different from what I do.

Rachmaninov always started learning a new piece by playing it through under tempo. I don't think you could find a better example.

I'm talking about piano here so shouldn't be posting on this forum but the same principle would apply to viola (except refs to both hands).

As I'm picking up a new moderately difficult piece I additionally do two sessions of hand exercises 8-10 mins per session, AWAY from the k/b. Normally these are first thing in morning and last at night to be reasonably out of the way of keyboard practice.

Practice at k/b, I do a brief warm-up followed by technical/learning problems (so there's no chance of my hands being tired/aching when I approach them.) Though quite rare for me, the nature of these problems has prompted me to do right hand separately then add left hand later. I'll work with a very high degree of concentration - when it starts to waver I give it a break for a few mins.

I try to apply my piano methods to violin, but they don't work the same way.

I try to practice slowly - that works. Surprisingly it works better than for piano.

Scales - I've never been taught ANY scales for violin ever, throughout my 8 years, apart from the g major. I guess it's the same fingering for the rest.

Repetition. More difficult than piano because if you practice the same segment over and over you get sore fingers. Or maybe I'm pressing too hard.

I don't get technical exercises so I can't do them.

Come on, 103 poeple have read this topic.....

But only four practice.

I put my practice into priority - do a warm up, usually scales in thirds (I don't have to do those for any exam but like them for warming up) and Chopin #1 prelude or similar. But hey I'm talking of piano here.
Then I work on things that need real attention - very slow as a rule. I see how I'm doing from time to time by playing at concert speed. I usually mess up so revert to slow. I've read here that people 'creep the metronome up'/ I don't.

Then run of the mill practice.
Finally, things I like to play.
Usually takes around an hour.

You are right telling off the lurkers.

I don't play the violin but I can tell you about my practice.
I start off first by playing long notes (between 8 and 12 beats)on every note from middle C to 4 octaves above middle C, to help me with breathing, posture and tone. I then tune to the piano or my tuner. Next I pick a scale, start playing it at speed 60 and build the speed up by 10 beats each time until I get to 120. I usually do 2 sclaes per practice session. I then pick some sight reading and work on that for a few minutes. I do my 2nd scale here. I then pick one of the pieces I am doing and really comb through it working on every detail. Practice usually takes around an hour but whenever I have time I go back to my flute and do something esle.

I find that playing extremely slowly is good for tone production.

Most of playing is about thinking what kind of sound (or vibration) you want, and producing it. (learnt this fro piano)

Complicated movements can be broken into simple movements, then re-assembled. (learnt this from piano)

(And thirdly, I need to buy a scale book. I attribute my virtuoistic technique [at making composer x turn in his grave] to not practicing violin until the night before. Maybe that's the reason why I have practised piano for less time, yet have overtaken my progress in violin easily)

REGULAR PRACTISE is essential, although we are all guilty of not doing this at some point, especially around Christmas and New Year.

Even if you only spend half an hour a day, then it is better than not practising for weeks on end and then trying to blitz the thing in four hours the night before.

The violin and associated string family, are all instruments on which your skill and touch will be lost in a remarkably short space of time. I'm a professional violinist and even I notice a small deterioration in my playing after two weeks holiday, so if you are someone who is still learning then the drop-off rate in your playing and technique will be even greater.

QUOTE

And thirdly, I need to buy a scale book

Most definitely!!!! I am stunned, no,...horrified that you have only learned the scale of G major in eight years of playing. Is this 2 octaves or 3 octaves of G major?? Scales are the basis of all music that we play, without them it's like reading a book without actually knowing the meaning of the words. It has probably also indered your knowledge of the pattern of notes on the fingerboard - a mental map of the instrument.

When you practise you need to think about what problems you have in your playing and devise a way to overcome that problem. This is where your teacher can help point out the weaknesses in your technique that need attention.

Waffling through several pieces or studies and putting the violin back in the case is not practise. That's nothing more than a zombie approach. Instead, look at the music you are working on and identify the areas that pose the big problems - areas where you repeatedly stumble over the notes, have bad intonation, or slow down. I think this is probably something you alsready do on the piano, but break these areas down into slow repetition. Keep repeating them slowly until the fingers have learned the pattern and the intonation is spot on. Then and only then, can you increase the speed slightly.

Having overcome a group of troublesome notes and got the intonation right, go back a few bars and playing through the bit preceeding it, through the problem passage and onto the bars afterwards. Do this slowly at first so that you don't make a mistake or slow down.

With this type of intense practise your playing will improve in a relatively short space of time. But remember, it has to be regular practise, not a three hour burst once every two weeks.

Here's something I was told while studying at music college: For every week you do no practise at all, it will take three days to get back to where you were when you last practised.

With open ears and brain switched on is a good approach!