10 methods for more focussed practice

“So how much have you practiced this week?” asks the teacher at the start of the lesson. However the student responds, the implication is that the student hasn’t practiced enough to make the improvements the teacher was expecting. Cue another lecture on the importance of practicing, a slightly soured tone for the rest of the lesson, and the student feeling a little less good about the whole learning-an-instrument business.

Many of us who’ve had music lessons will recognise this pattern – one that clearly doesn’t have positive outcomes for either student or teacher. Why is it so common? Teachers can sometimes forget that they’ve had to learn how to practice. They take it for granted that it’s an intrinsic skill and so they ask the wrong question – “how much?” when really, they should just be asking ‘how?’

How have you been practicing this week? There’s no implication. It’s an honest question and good teacher should be genuinely interested to know what methods you’ve tried so they can help you find the most effective ones. We all learn in different ways and fortunately there are countless different ways to practice. The more methods you’re aware of, the more equipped you are to overcome the hurdles faced when learning an instrument. So let’s look at 10 common practice strategies you can put to work right away to help focus your practice time.

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1) Familiarise yourself with the music.

With all the enthusiasm eagerness to rush in, this simple but powerful step can often be overlooked. Put your instrument down and just listen to what it is you’re trying to learn. Now listen to it again. Hum along to the part in your head and build an idea of how it goes. You don’t need to sing it note for note, but try to get a sense of the shape of the melody (where does it go up? Down? Stay the same pitch?) And of the rhythm (where are the long notes? Short notes? Where do you need to pause for breath?). Until you have an idea of these things, how are you going to know if you’re playing it right or not? Getting to know the music should be the first thing you do.

2) Have a goal for your practice session.

I’ve written a whole article about goal setting, but simply put, decide on what you want to get out of the practice session and set an amount of time you'd like to spend on that one specific task.

3) Slow it down.

Play the part slowly and in your own time (i.e. not along with the recording of the song). Get the sequence of notes or chords under your fingers and build some muscle memory. This will allow you to focus on other things like rhythm, articulation and dynamics later on.

4) Play along to a metronome

Having a regular pulse clicking away will force you to forge ahead and practice longer passages with the added challenge of staying in time. Regular practice along to a metronome over time will hugely improve your internal sense of timing and understanding of rhythm. Check out my practice tools page for links to online metronomes and drum grooves to play along to.

5) Evaluate yourself.

This is necessary at many different stages throughout the learning process. Pay attention to how you’re playing and ask yourself the following questions:

- Which part am I doing well? What do I find easy?

- Which part do I find harder? What am I not able to do yet?

Answering these questions will allow you to finesse your practice. A tip here is to video record yourself, which allows you to evaluate yourself more easily as you aren’t also concentrating on playing!

6) Focus on your weaknesses first.

Having identified your weaknesses, prioritise improving them. You’ll get the best results this way round. It can be tempting to play the whole song enjoying the bits you play well, stumbling over the bits you can’t quite do yet. Be firm with yourself and focus on those areas that actually need work. Are there a couple of bars that need a bit more practice? Or even a couple of notes – maybe it’s a single difficult physical move, like skipping over a number of strings. Try to break down the exact thing that’s giving you trouble and work on that until it feel more comfortable.

7) Slow it down.

At any level of difficulty, this next sentence rings true - If you can’t play it slowly, then you can’t play it fast.

Slowing down gives you the benefit of a little more thinking time. It might be a matter of milliseconds, but often it’s enough to open your eyes to new ways of doing things.

8) Try playing in different ways.

There’s a famous saying – doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is the definition of insanity. Repetition is a key part of practice, but surely it’s much better to repeat an effective strategy than an ineffective one? If you find that one technique (e.g. a picking pattern, or fingering) isn’t working, try coming up with different solutions. Maybe you found playing a series of notes with a ‘down, down, up’ picking pattern is uncomfortable – maybe ‘down, up, down’ is better there. Experiment and find the way that works best for you.

9) Use technical studies to improve a specific technique.

A study is a miniature composition, designed to improve a specific technical action, by testing that action in a series of musical scenarios. Keep an eye out for studies online, or come up with your own. Write a short piece of music that allows you to practice a technique you’re working to develop.

10) Practice performing.

It’s not uncommon for beginner guitarists to stand up for their first performance only to realise the guitar hangs a little differently than when they’re sat down in their practice room. Practicing as you mean to perform is important. Play in front of other people and in realistic scenarios.

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This is by no means a definitive list on practice techniques, but a starting point to get you thinking about how to practice. Hopefully it sparks some ideas and inspires you to try out some specific strategies next time you practice. What are your favourite practice methods? Have I missed anything essential? Leave a comment and let me know.