Violin Secrets by Nardolillo Jo;

Author:Nardolillo, Jo; [Nardolillo, Jo]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Unlimited Model
Published: 2015-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

Tip: A short session of practice concentrate is much more productive that a long, unfocused session.

Secret 60: Never Pay Rent Again

The most frustrating practice experience is when you work diligently on a piece one day, only to find that much of what you accomplished seems to have vanished the very next day. This means practically starting over, which is discouraging and particularly unenjoyable. With such a low rate of return on your practice investment, getting an entire piece (or, in the case of auditions, recitals, and orchestra concerts, a whole stack of pieces) ready in time can be daunting. The secret of the top professionals to effective, lasting, and enjoyable practice is this: stop renting.

When you rent an apartment, you can pay for years and have nothing to show for it. If you make the investment to buy a place, your money goes toward owning it, and you never have to pay rent again. Many people practice as if they are renting, making just enough of a “payment” each time to get by. Their practice time is spent learning notes and problem solving tricky spots, trying to get some work done on everything. In the final days, a great effort is made to pull it all together, add some musicality, and perform it. In this renting type of practice, the ratio of struggle to success is too great.

Instead of renting, buy some of your music every time you practice. Buying means learning something so thoroughly that it is comfortable, up to tempo, memorized, and includes every detail you wish for the perfect performance and then practicing that polished version with enough repetitions that it will still be there tomorrow, in a week, or even in two years. You may be able to buy only a tiny bit of a piece in each session, but with this approach, you will be the proud owner of that tiny bit, and you will have spent most of your practice time nailing it just the way you want it, which is infinitely more enjoyable than the struggle of renting.

The trick to switching from renting to buying is to invest by tackling only as much as you can absolutely own in the time you have. For example, consider Ysaÿe’s dramatic, virtuosic Ballade. Learning it by renting can be a grueling struggle of many months, culminating in a harrowing, insecure performance. To actually buy the piece, you must discipline yourself to practice only as much as you can own each day. That probably means two or three measures a day, maybe a bit less for the hardest passages and a bit more for the easier parts. Figure out all that is involved in those few measures. Solve the issues of fingerings, intonation, and bow work. Add dynamics, articulations, and phrasing. By now it will already be memorized not because you worked to memorize it but because you know it so well you can’t help it. Once you have it 100 percent figured out, start practicing, nailing it over and over.

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