How often should I practise, and how do I do it?

How often should I practise?

The answer to this question changes as you develop as a musician, and it also depends on how motivated you are. Obviously, the more you practise the quicker you'll develop, and the more you'll get out of your lessons.

A basic guide is as follows, based on 5-6 days of practise per week:

Beginner - 6 months: 5-15mins

6 months - 1 year: 15-20mins

1-2 years: 20-30mins

Above and beyond: Up to you and your goals!

The thing about practise is, it's much better to do smaller amounts of quality practise on a consistent basis rather than one large session once a week. So if you're struggling to find the time, it's better to cut back on the amount of time and do it more often.

It also needs to become a habit. Unfortunately for the vast majority of us, practise does not come naturally, especially for children as they are typically not intrinsically motivated (internally rewarded), so practising is a learned skill that often needs external reward until it's a habit. For example, my mum would only let me watch the daily 6pm Simpson's episode if I had done my practise that day, and DOH! was I sad if I'd forgotten. You may prefer to use a more positive reward system like x amount of practise 5 days a week = movie night; do what works for you and your child!

For parents (and adults!): the best way to establish a habit for your kids is to do it every day at the same time; set a reminder in your phone, and set a 5-15 minute timer for practise if you have to!

How do I practise?

"I've practised this from beginning to end 10 times, and it just doesn't sound any better!"

There are many ways to practise, and yes, playing from the beginning to the end of a piece is a good indicator of where your playing standard is and how the piece sounds, and lets face it, is more fun sometimes! However, it is definitely not the smart way to practise ALL the time. Here are some good ideas for your practise session:

Practise with intent: practise journals are a great way to set your intentions and goals for the week. For children, the teacher will write in a practise journal and give examples and ideas for practise that should be easy for the child to follow. For adults, it's often better to write what happened in your lesson in your own words with the help of your teacher. Think over your last lesson with help from your journal, and write a list of what needs practising and how. Write a reflection on how you think your practise went, and what you want to improve on. For children, parents may need to help with this initially, creating posters and practise charts (print out example on next page).

Practise in small sections, slowly: isolate the tricky part, and practise it slowly until it is comfortable. That's the best piece of practise advise I was ever given: practise slowly until it is comfortable ie. ZERO body tension. Once you can play it well slowly, then you can speed it up. Once that section is comfortable, join it to the previous or next section, and try again until comfortable. If the "tricky part" falls apart on this play through, go back and repeat the process. Copy, paste, repeat.

Practise focusing on one element: isolate the tricky part, and focus on your left hand - am I playing the correct notes? Is it in tune? Is my left wrist straight? Are my fingers curly and strong? Am I holding tension in my hand or arm? Then focus on your right hand - do I have straight bows? Am I setting the bow? Am I making good contact with the string? Is my bow hold correct? Am I holding tension in my hand or arm?

Practise with a metronome: this is the best way to establish strong rhythmic skills and consistency in your playing. Whether its a simple tune, or something complex, metronome practise is invaluable. Try using it in your slow and at tempo practise.

Practise with your imagination: I often get students to imagine what something would sound like or feel like before playing, then to try playing it on their instrument with their eyes closed. This helps to build familiarisation with the instrument, and to visualise all the fine-motor movements. Mindful practise can save time, and is great if your body needs a break from playing.

Practise by keeping it interesting: stuck on a section? Try changing the bowing, or changing the rhythms, then go back to the original. Sometimes the brain needs something new to focus on.

Practise with consistency: If you practise a section with your bow starting in a different place each time, or starting with an up bow and the next time with a down bow, you're not actually practising the same thing. Its a variation, and can be a huge waste of time. When you are practising something in particular, you want to practise the same movements well each time. Double check that you have the correct bowing, fingering, and rhythm so you are practising the correct actions.

There are heaps of sources for more practise tips, but start here for more info:

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2O6mQkFiiw

Book to read: Practiceopedia