It looks like you are browsing from United States. Please select your region for the best experience.
No thank you

Good habits for effective practice sessions

Diehard fans of improvised practice sessions, we're talking to you! You’re the musician/singer who considers structured practice as less important than trusting the mood of the moment to reach your creative potential.

We hear you, but we’re here to argue the contrary. The trouble with relying solely on improvised practice sessions is that you likely won't master the technical basics from the get-go. Learning the basics before ever jumping into improv sessions will eventually offer you more serenity and require you to focus on the music itself. After you've mastered this, you’ll then have earned the freedom to fully exploit your creative potential.

Opt for regularity

Practice involves forming small habits which will streamline your work and allow you to make it more effective in terms of expected results.

The first step to forming these habits is to be realistic in determining your current level and the one you want to achieve. What efforts are you prepared to make for this to happen? Be honest, because it is counterproductive to immediately set unachievable goals (you’re starting on a cross-country race remember, not a sprint!).

You should already be practicing regularly. Does your practice schedule get penciled in religiously or only when the mood strikes? If it is the latter, time to give it up because it’s the fastest way to stagnate. Just like athletes already know, reaching a certain level and staying there is not done without sustained effort.

You should take the time to plan your work as it’s better to exercise a little every day in an organized and thoughtful way than confusedly and without real objective. Maybe even try jotting down your program for the days to follow, a little organization takes nothing away from the charm of practice.

Show rigor

It's up to you to determine the amount of time you spend practicing per day, but it’s important to do so every day, even if you only have 15 minutes, it's the best way to see progress. Progress will come quickly, and thus starts a healthy practice cycle: you will gain confidence and control, and you can, from week to week, push your limits with more demanding exercises. A four-hour group rehearsal on weekends should not be considered as a "practice session," but as the opportunity to materialize your progress on your long-term, individual exercises.

It’s like when you start a diet, be unyielding from from the beginning: that's where the standard gets set. Your personal calendar will remind you that everyday there is opportunity for a "music moment," and you should absolutely to stick to it. In sticking with it, only then will it become priority.

Vary exercices

If you are afraid that routine will hinder your daily goodwill, change it up and plan on a variety of exercises.

We often talk about playing an instrument or singing, but listening to music can very well fit into your schedule as an exercise in its own right. And you'll learn a lot more than you’d expect by putting your listening, usually recreational, on a deeper level. Defining three pieces to study meticulously, for example, helps to better understand the issue of placement, be it vocal or instrumental. This exercise can also help you gather technical information about how an artist interprets a particular part of a track, and then tailor it to your particular case.

Even more fun, and always useful, douse yourself with different musical styles. You may not necessarily like heavy metal or country for example, but you will certainly learn things by listening to one classic of the genre per week, while still committing to your practice schedule. Perhaps you will even want to venture into a genre in which you know nothing about... In other words: you should widen your field in order to enrich and develop your own specificities. Remember, as the saying goes, "nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed."

Group work

As we’ve said, the variety that you infuse into your practice program is crucial. Some days will be harder than others, because chasing away boredom isn’t always easy, and you might even ask yourself, "What's the point?" Returning to the metaphor of a diet, the most motivated people are those who arrive at the finish line, even if they go through bad times. Why? Because they are not afraid to ask for support.

Practicing exercises with others is always productive, not only for morale, but also because in shared problems, we find a potential for shared solutions. For example, two singers may have fun exchanging roles, one takes the lead vocals while the other performs counter-vocals, and the other way around. This helps to shake up habits, understand placement mechanisms, accuracy, tone management and perhaps determine which role you are most comfortable with.


Continue reading

Higher, Michael Bublé's last album, is already available on Wersja Karaoke

Worthy heir to the jazz singers of the 1950s, Canadian artist Michael Bublé just released his new solo album Higher. A...

From « Don't Go Breaking My Heart » to « Cold Heart », Elton John still knows how to make us feel alive!

Iconoclastic artist, composer of timeless ballads and creator of hits that became classics, Sir Elton John has lived...

Cover songs for weddings? the answer is "yes"!

Soul, Rock, Pop, Movie score… Playing the right music at the right time is the magic formula to rock any wedding...


Be the first to comment on this
Log in to leave a reply.