I’ve been on the go for a bit. Lots of driving with plenty of time to think. So, of course when I wasn’t practicing by reviewing tunes in my head, I was thinking about practicing. And that got me thinking about what should be in the “to be practiced” pile and more importantly, what should be in the “NOT to be practiced” pile.
You already know what is in the “to be practiced” pile. [If you don’t (or you’re not sure), drop me a message and we’ll get that sorted for you!]
But what (really) belongs in the “NOT to be practiced” pile? The list could be endless, but I’ll strive for brevity here. Things that belong in the “NOT to be practiced” pile include:
1. Notes that don’t align with the tune (mistakes)
2. Technique that doesn’t serve you (there’s a reason teachers pound placing and closing – just sayin’)
3. Trepidation (stressing over that tricky bit that’s coming up)
4. Stressing over what’s for dinner (or other, unrelated event)
5. Hunching (talk about a physical manifestation of stress!)
6. Dead air (this is that long space between notes when you’re playing faster than you’re ready to just then)
7. Focusing on having not practiced (just get on with it…now)
8. A long list of notes (rather than a whole with the fullness of phrases)
9. Focusing on how someone else is coming along with the tune
10. Focusing on what the teacher might say (rather than being ready to hear those pearls that are about to erupt)
11. Shoulds (I should be better, I should have practiced more, I should be more comfortable, I should be like Soandso Overthere, I should have already learned this, I should have overcome this sticky section, I should, I should, I should…)
Typically, here I would give you a list of things you can do to overcome these. And I do have a list, but instead, I invite you to think about all these things (and all the others that popped into your head while you were reading). Are you including any of these NOTs in your practice? Which arrive bidden? unbidden? Which are you partaking of which get you nowhere, but burn up your practice time?
How would your practice benefit or be improved if you didn’t spend time on these NOTs but instead focused on making music? How would your life improve? Do you have others? Want to share them with me? I love to hear your thoughts and ideas!