richard PROVOST a, PRACTICE ay w guilar solo publications : i‘The Art & Technique of Practice TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface 6 1. General Guidelines. a7 Goals 18 Uttimate Goat 8 Weekly and Daily Sesion goals. 9 Goals for The Task . 9 Productivity Techniques 9 Scheduling - 10 Practice... 14 2. Preparation & Technique ... 15 Preparation for Practice 18 16 Technique .. 3. Memorization & Visualization Memorization : Determining What Needs to be Memortzed Facts About Memorization Visualization ... Developing Visualization Techniques Contrapuntal Textures Harmonic Textures Memorization Techniques Preparation (Steps 1-6)... 4. Note-Reading & Interpretive Practice . Preparation... . Familiarity ... Basic Note Learning Approach (tens 1-5) Interpretive Practice... Structure Time and Set Daily Goals Thoroughness.5. Problem Solving & Repertoire Maintenance 35 Problem Solving ene 35, Coordination Problems 238 Reflex Problems 35 Interpretive Problems 37 Mental Practice een 37 Repertoire Maintenance. 38 6. Developing Reading & Listening Skills eee 39 Developing Reading Skills... seo Approach 1 Approach 2 Rhythm soso Position Playing Harmony Developing Listening Skills Learning to Hear Melodic Direction Developing Awareness to Musical Style Appendix 1: Practice Schedules 46 Appendix 2: Practice Outline... 48 Bibliography .. The Author ... 53 Contents‘The Art & Technique of Practice Preface ‘These ideas on practicing were first presented atthe 1987 Toronto Guitar Festival. Because Of the research needed to prepare this presentation, I soon realized that most of the information we have on practicing deals with specific Issues rather than the complete subject ‘Two years later, after further esearch, I wrote a five-part series The Art and Techique of Practice, published in the Soundboard and The Gendai Guitar of Japan. This series presented a comprehensive look at practicing. At the suggestion of my colleagues, 1 texpanded and revised these articles into this book, My initial intent in researching practice technique was to improve my own practice and that of my students. As I wrote thls book, I came to realize that most of the ideas and. techniques on practice can be used by all instrumentalists. This resulted in changing the focus of the book from guitar to universal practice techniques. T have, however, naturally chosen the musical examples from the classical guitar repertoire. The concepts illustrated by the examples can easily be applied to the practice ‘of any musical instrument. [would like to express my appreciation for the encouragementand suggestions that have received from colleagues and students, Particular thanks must go to Raymond Andrews for his suggestions during the writing of the articles. Most of all, would like to thank Renee Korwan, Alan Goldspiel, Bert Lucareli, and Robert Stallman for their suggestions and assistance in editing this book. RICHARD PROVOST hte to hbk eo sn fo “Fi ak of he Gt1. General Guidelines General Guidelines Practice, that all consuming activity, whether we be student, amateur, or professional i. {defined in the Random House College Dictionary as: “repeated performance orsystematic ‘exercise for the purpose of acquiring skill o proficiency.” While practicing does involve 12 good deal of repetition, there is far more to it than what is implied by this narrow definition, The following quotation by Wanda Landowska (Landowska on Musi, Stein and Day, New York) offers mote insight on this subject. “af everyone knew how to work, everyone would be a genius! [ hate the word PRACTICE, Practice breeds inurement. Instead of discovering, of distinguishing traits that are deeply hidden or merely veiled, oneends seeing nothing anymore. One ceases tobe aware. To beaware, to be conscious ata tines is what appears to me the worhest in my ‘thoughts and in my work. While interpreting, even at the most impetuous moments whew a musical phrase overflows with passion I want to remain conscious. f may orget a liberty I1ook at one place or another, but his does not change in any way iy state of consciousness, whicl is always on the alert Awkwardness and mistakes in playing ate aways due to lack of concentration.” In order for you to develop a successful practice routine, you must be aware of the following elements of practice: 1, Physical - All elements related to technique and the role of the body. 2. Musical - The study of the score and all its implications. 3. Mental - The necessary thought process involved in goal setting and problem solving 4, Aural - Listening, not only to each note being played but, to the relationship of these notes to the whole. ‘When we consider practicing in this manner, we use repetition asa tool to reinforce the various technical and musical areas that we discovered and need to perfect to insure a successful performance, This discovery process is often complicated because much of the information concerning practicing has been presented by our teacher/s on a “need to know" basis. (ie. solving a particular problem in a piece or learning a specific technique etc.) Often, we are ata loss whien a particular approach doesn’t work. n this book, [will present an overview of the practicing process and discuss many effective practice techniques, Examining practicing further, we find that there are really (wo types of practice. The frst deals with the develapment of lang term gals canremning technique, repertaiee, and‘The Art & Technique of Practice musical development. The second involves rapid learning, This occurs when a busy schedule limits the amount of work that can be given toa piece. The piece is quickly and accurately learned to meet performance demands, but not with the exploration and depth, that maximum time would allow, Professional musicians master both approaches. They recognize that their musical longevity depends on their growth as both performers and ‘musicians, They also need, because of their busy schedules, the ability to learn a piece quickly when necessary. Students often gravitate toward the second approach when they hhave underdeveloped practice habits. Often they are looking for the fast cure rather than the most beneficial approach. Many students measure their progress by how much, repertoire they play, rather than by the quality of their playing. They also tend to consider technicaland musical growth lessimportant. To befatr itisoften difficult olook down the road and see where a particular approach will lead, particularly if you are learning pieces and performing well In my discussion of practicing, I will be focusing on the first approach since acquiring these skills will automaticaly give you the skills needed for rapid learning. Practicing is, toa large degree, a very personal activity and changes as playing proficiency improves, Suecessful practicing will meet the needs and aspirations of each individual. 1 am reminded ofa student who approached a famous guitarist and asked him how much, time he spent practicing scales. His answer was that he never practiced scales. In eeporting this conversation, the student interpreted thisstatement to mean that twas not necessary to practice scales. The fact that the performer had a virtuoso scale technique while the student could barely move his fingers was never considered. Neither was the question of how this petformer developed his technique, nor whether the student was meeting his reeds by not practicing scales. By organizing your practice, you gain an honest and realistic view of your current strengthsand weaknesses. In addition, to be most beneficial, practicing should be both an enjoyable and productive experience. The use of goal Setting, productivity techniques, and scheduling are perhaps the most important tools, to use in creating productive practice Goals One way of inereasing your practice productivity Is tohave clearly established goals are three types of goals that can be used in practicing, They are: there 1. Ultimate goat (long range) 2. Weekly and daily session goals 3. Goals for the immediate task Ultimate Goal What is your ultimate goal? [st to bea professional teacher or performer? Isit to bea good amateur? If you are not sure, set your goals high. Trying to reach a professional level will provide a clearer picture of what is required and enable you to decide whether you are willing to adopt this lifestyle1. General Guidelines ‘Weekly & Daily Session Goals What are your practice goals for the week and each session? Weekly and session goals will, positively effect what you will work on, the length of time that will be spent, and your {expectations for each daily practice session. These goals could involve learning a page of ‘anew piece of music, smoothing out left hand shifts, refining a passage from a piece, etc. Itis best to have only two or three goals for the week. This helps to focus attention and minimize boredom (C00 few goals) oF confusion (100 many goals). Remember, Ifyou reach, your goals before the end of the week you can always choose several new goals. Goals For The Task Once you have chosen the goals fora session, establish goals for each tasks. You are ready todecide the amount of time needed to complete these tasks. While this might appear to be somewhat easy, experience hasshown that you will likely beeither overly or minimally ambitious, Ifyou are too ambitious, you will try todo too much and when you ail toreach the desired goal become frustrated. If you are minimally ambitious, you will take three to fourtimesastong to reach your goal thereby slowing your progressbut, more importantly, limiting your musical development. Itis important, however, to recognize that the amount of time required is dependent on six items. They are: 1. Your ability to define the problem, 2. Your willingness to work on details and small problems. (le. how ‘committed are you to having clear phrases, phrase endings, well defined dynamics, solid fingering, ete?) Your ability to come up with effective solutions to the problems. The level of difficulty of the problem area. Your general level of proficiency. It is important to have sufficient ‘musical skills to allow you to rethink your approach to the music. Ifthe piece is too clfficult, you will be unable to make much progress. Many teachers feel that a student's progress is seriously affected by work- ingon music thats too difficult. This may result in negative tension, poor embouchure, incorrect breathing, etc 6, Yourability to focus on the tasks. Asa rule, if you've spent ten to fifteen minutes daly on atask, and haven’t reached your ‘goal or made substantial improvement by the end of a week, consult your teacher. Productivity Techniques ‘While practicing, observe what you are doing, Don’t criticize! Comments such as: “This is terrible, “’m making too many mistakes.”, etc, are irrelevant, distracting, and ccounterproductive, They also take much of the enjoyment out of practicing. On the other hand, non- judgemental observations based on body awareness such as: "My left hand is tensein this passage.” or "My right hand seems confused in this measure.”, arestatements about what needs to be done and what to focus on during the practice session,‘The Art & Technique of Practice 10 Itisalso important to recognize the relationship between motivation and progeess. One ‘way to maintain progress is to compare the "good" (what you can execute comfortably) with the “bad” (those passages that are not well learned or controlled). Takea passage that is not going well and compare it with one that is satisfying. Ask questions: What am I dling in this passage that I'm not doing in the other? Do my hands feel the same in each passage? Do I know what I want to accomplish? You will have noticed by now that this approach demands awareness, concentration and, more importantly, FOCUSING your mind on the problem. The mind is easily bored. When It becomes bored it wanders, looking for more interesting topics. Focusing your attention to specifics makes practicing more enjoyable and minimizes mind-wandering, ‘Asa final thought, besides employing the previous points, tis sometimes helpful to keep a daily log of accomplishments and areas to be covered during the rext day's practice session. This i especially useful for quantifiable topics such as speed, measures learned atc. Scheduling ‘The techniques employed in making practicing enjoyable also, to a large degree, contribute to making it productive. Setting goals, developing awareness, focusing atten: tion on specifics, avoiding criticism, and asking questions all contribute to productivity as well as enjoyment. Using a practice schedule will allow you to focus on the following, four points 1, Does your practice time reflect your ultimate goal? If your goal Is to be a performer, then your practice schedule will reflect this and show between three to five hours of daly practice. If your goal isto be a good amateur, then one to two hoursof dally practice wilusualy besufficient to guarantee both progress and enjoyment. 2. Are your mind, muscles, and musical instincts belng used daily? It has been established that the mind, muscles, and musical instinets develop best with constant use and reinforcement, If you work on a piece one houraday fr fvedays you will accomplish more all things belng equal, than if you practice the same piece for five hours one day and don’t return to the piece until the next week. You may feel that itis desirable to practice only when the mood strikes. This approach to practice has severe limitations. From a reality standpoint, any performer knows that yyouare natalways inspired foreach concert. tis important tocreate this inspiration and to perform well inal kinds of situations. The training for ‘this begins in the practice room, 3. Do you have a set time to practice? One way that practicing can be productive isto schedule a regular daily practice time. It is not at all "uncommon for professional musicians refuse toanswer the telephone1, General Guidelines fr door when practicing. They sefuse to let anything interrupt their concentration and work, While this degree of discipline may be unreal- istic to expect from a student, It is not unrealistic to set up specific practice times for each day of the week. There are some musicians who feel that practice spread out over the entire day, (je. one hour in the morning, afternoon, and evening) will provide moze flexibility to the hands. This esults in never having more than an eight hour period when you are not practicing. While the realities of school, work, of professional schedules may limit the choice ‘of practice periods, many people find such a schedule not only possible but beneficial Scheduling also helps to prioritize your practice time. If your goal is to bbe a professional musician, then practice time isa priority tem. If you are not willing to make such a commitment, then a reevaluation of career goals is necessary. While an occasional “bad week” may occur where you haven't been able to maintain your practice schedule, consistent "bad weeks” ate indicative of more serious problems. This _may be caused by a lack of discipline, motivation, or commitment, also by personal oremoational problems. Whatever the cause, these are issues that must be dealt with if you wish to excel on a musical instrument, 4. How long should you practice? Students entering music schools bring, with them a wide range of backgrounds and work habits. Some enter ith well developed practice skills and a high degree of discipline, while others enter with just tremendous talent and potential. Therefore, 1 usually recommend beginning with a practice routine of a minimum of three hours of daily practice, This should be broken down into sessions not exceeding forty-five minutes to one hour. Itis important to have at Jeast a fifteen minute break between each session. Its also important to hhave a daily schedule that can be met. More time can always be added on days with more free time, butt isimportant to maintain a minimum, amount of dally practice to assure good progress. Let us look ata sample practice schedule and see how it can be used. Table Tis the weekly practice schedule, Begin each week by deciding when you will practice each day. Write in the times and total hours to be practiced under the appropriate headings. After each practice day, jot down the amount you practiced with any comments you might have about your session, While its important not to make the practice schedule an inflexible tool, itis important to recognize that too much deviation from your written schedule suiggests that you need to reexamine your goals, prlorities, and scheduling. ul