Monthly Archives: January 2023

Practice Hacks

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Practice Hacks

Everyone is passing along hacks for everything that happens in life.  Whether it’s a no-brainer like putting a paperclip under the tape so you can find the end the next time or a head scratcher like using Doritos as kindling when you need to start a fire (think that one all the way through), hacks are advertised as little things that make life easier (and the implication is that you should have thought of it already).  By extension, they make you smarter (for doing the weird easy thing).

There are even people talking about Practice Hacks.  But here’s the thing –

There are no practice hacks!

Yup, I said it.  There are no practice hacks.

Wait, before you become forlorn because I’m not going to give you cheap and easy ways to improve your practice, and before you start looking for ways to prove I’m wrong…

While there are no practice hacks, there are a number of ways to make your practice better!  These are all easy and cheap (or free).  And nothing I’m about to reveal should be a surprise! 

What are these mysterious methods that aren’t hacks?  How do you make your practice better? Here are a few things you can do/try/add to your daily practice:

  • Think – Structure your practice time so you spend a little bit of time thinking about what you want to do, what you need to do, and what you left to do from the last time before you actually start to work.
  • Plan – Based on your thinking, plan what you are going to do while you practice. Don’t leave it to chance.
  • Write – A practice journal in some form allows you keep track of what you have done, how it went, what you should do next, questions to ask at your lesson, and any other thoughts you have during your practice. This really is just for you so feel free to write anything you like here.
  • Listen – When I first started playing, I was working so hard to play the notes that I didn’t actually hear them! I had to learn to listen while I play – and you can learn that too. Sometimes when I practice, I focus on making the sounds and sometimes I set aside time to focus on listening so I can hear what I’m doing.  If you find you run out of brain space before you get to listening, then use your phone to record and listen to it separately – you’ll be amazed by what you learn!
  • Be present – Practice is often painted as drudgery.  But really, your practice time is time you’re spending on you with you. And you deserve it.  So be there for you. Put your phone away, turn off the tv, close the door, and be present for yourself.
  • Be prepared – If at all possible, have your instrument ready – out of the case and in front of the bench. It is always amazing to me how off-putting the harp can be if it’s enrobed in its case!  Also, have your journal, some pencils, pens, and post-its at the ready.  Make your tea ahead of time.  Preparedness is not just for Boy Scouts and the Coast Guard!
  • Be (time) Wise – Don’t think you must have 2 hours every day to make progress. Even if you only have 10 minutes here or there – those 10 minutes can add up.  And on “those” days if all you get is 10 minutes – use it!  Don’t talk yourself out of practicing because you don’t have a long stretch of time available.  By the same token, don’t write off an entire week because you missed a day or two.  Although we think about time in days, weeks, and months, these are artificial constructs.  In this case those constructs are not helpful.  The reality is that time is continuous – so you can continue too!
  • Chill – It is easy to get caught up in comparisons. Everyone you know has already learned that tune.  Or everyone is playing it way faster than you can. Or you have a simple arrangement, but everyone else’s is complicated.  Chill – it’s not a race! You do your thing, enjoy the successes of others, and play!
  •  Actually Practice – Practicing can encompass a lot of things, but the one thing it must include is that it is a time to knuckle under and do work. Focus and pay attention and do the things you need to do.  As mentioned above – it is time you are investing in you, so make it worth your while!

Like I said, there are no hacks.  There are no short cuts.  There are no ways to avoid the work.  But there are ways to use your practice time well and make progress – but you probably already knew that!  What are your “practice hacks”?  I’d love to hear – let me know in the comments!

Put it away

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Put it away

Do you have those tunes that seem to be made of rubber?  The kind that, no matter how hard you work on them, bounce right out of your head.  Boing – right out of your hands!  In fact, these tunes seem to have some sort of negative charge – the harder you work on trying to learn them, the farther from being learned they get.  Or maybe it’s just me that has worked and worked and worked and when I can’t stand it anymore, I <still> can’t remember or play it.  Grrr.  Worse – it’s almost always a tune you really want to play. Double grrr.

Like everything else, when you have this challenge, it’s good to have a strategy to overcome it.  But the “obvious” approach might not be the one you want to use.  Because when, as you sit on your bench, you feel like you should be able to play something, but you can’t – despite a great deal of brain work.  That’s when you might think you should double down and keep working.  Don’t!

It’s the perfect time to put it away.  Yup. Set it aside.  Put it out of your mind.  Don’t give it a thought. And definitely don’t work on playing it.  I don’t mean just a day or two – let it sit for a while.  Let it marinate.

How long is a while? Well, that depends on you.  I know for me it’s more than a couple of weeks.  If I can, I let it wait until it pops up in my head (uninvited – no fair “prompting” it!) and makes me crazy trying to identify it!  But when I sit to play it, I’m often pleasantly surprised!  Most surprising is that the tune that was just not going into my head is quickly worked up – like there never was a problem to begin with. 

So, the next time something’s giving you trouble, put it away and come back to it later.  Have you tried this?  Let me know in the comments!

Why do scales?

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Are scales your favorite part of practicing?  Do you do scales regularly?  Be honest.

It’s easy to be jaded about scales.  After all, you’ve probably been doing them most of your harp life.  But do you know why? 

Well, obviously, scales have technical potential.  They do embody so many important elements – placing, planning, crosses, rhythm, control, and more.  But there are other things about scales that make them so important.

Scales are the embodiment of practicing a small habit every day to build strength and resilience.  Doing your scales every day not only ingrains the technical elements but also gives you a dependable small win each day that you can leverage to keep yourself on track for your big goals.

Scales have a clear functional purpose but they also have a philosophical purpose.  They can help create a bubble in which you can be present and focused.  They also are a simple act of great potential.  They are the type of easy activity that allows your mind to work.

So it is important to do scales.  But don’t just do them – do them right.  Identify what your focus will be, the outcome you desire.  Keep the small goal in sight, but keep the “grand goal” in mind so that all your work one the simple stuff is always pushing you along the path to your selected stop.  Focus on what you can do today, with an eye to where you’d like to eventually get.

So, do your scales.  Do them well.  Enjoy them – examine what you do and what it means as well as what you could do next.  Do what you can do today as a step to where you are going – the journey has many steps – you might as well enjoy them.

Do you do your scales every day? Where are they taking you?  What could you do better?  Let me know in the comments.  

It’s a new year!

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It’s a new year – that time of year when, after heartily wishing you a Happy New Year, I would normally start blathering on about goal setting.
This year I thought I’d give you a bit of a break (gasp! Is she losing it?) (Nope, just taking a new tack).


The problem with goal setting is that it’s fraught with baggage. We think of goals as things we don’t meet. Or even finish. Or we think that we have set lofty goals and then we don’t “grow into them” like we thought we would. All of which leaves us feeling like we have failed.

Ugh.

This year, I’m going to suggest something different. And yes, I’ve totally stolen this from a million other places. This year will be different (for loads of reasons). So, let’s start differently so we can end differently!

This year, why not write a letter to your future self? Not too future – just to the you that you will be in December. That you will be different from the you as you are just now. Be a good correspondent. 

But, how are you going to do that? how do you compose a letter to someone who you have yet to be meet? Well…

Close your eyes and imagine yourself at the end of the year, preparing for a New Year’s Eve party to welcome in 2024. You are so justifiably proud of the year that was. Let’s do the retrospective as we get dressed. Just like in the movies, watch the montage of your year in review.

What have you learned? Where did you go? What have you done? What changes have occurred (both good and bad)? What worked?  What didn’t? What did you not get to that you kinda wish you hadn’t missed?

Write all those things to your future self – make it a nice, long, juicy letter! Give yourself the details of not only what you did but how you got to each of those actions. Take some time to think about what you will need to do to become the you you’re writing to. Don’t forget to include where you are (and who you are) at this point. Remind you where you were and why you wanted to cross the gap between who you were and who you’ll become.

And remember, that person who will read this is very dear to you – so be nice. Be positive. Be kind!  Pop the letter into an envelope and put it in your planner calendar to be opened in December. 

Of course, between now and then, you can keep notes in your practice journal – just to help your future you have a better recollection of the year gone by. 

Want to share what you’re going to tell you? Leave a comment!