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Here are a few tips to help make practice time easier and more productive:- Look at the key signature.- Look at the time signature.- Look through the music for any difficult places - pitch or rhythmic. Work out the tricky parts.- Tap your foot to keep the steady beat.- Say the rhythm.- Say the note names in rhythm and finger along.- Play through the entire piece of music.- Decide what was good - compliment yourself first!- Decide what needed improvement.- Decide how you will fix the problem.- Once the difficult passage is fixed, play it with the easier music - put it all together.One way to fix a difficult passage:- Play the section slowly.- Find the hardest part and play those two or three notes slowly several times, so that your mind, mouth, and/or hands know how it feels.- Slowly increase the tempo (speed). You must be able to play the music accurately at the tempo you choose. If it is not accurate, slow it down again.- When the difficult section is accurate and at the correct tempo, place it back into the music and play the entire section together.- Don't be discouraged if it is not perfect the first time - these steps can be used over again, each time you practice!*There are many other ways - don't be afraid to do something different, as long as it works, and you figure out how to play the music!
Last Modified on September 3, 2019