MINDFUL PRACTICE , PERFECT PRACTICE
In previous articles, I mentioned how easy it is to develop and home bad habits. This time I want to talk about good things, everybody loves good things, but they are not always easy to obtain let alone master.
Great things are best done when they are easy. Little by little, piece by piece, hour by hour, day by day, year by year, we can all achieve something great.
Awareness, attention to details and mindfulness will most definitely set you on the right path and practicing these things will economize on individual memory, accuracy and mental clarity.
When it comes to musical training – scales and exercises are the beginning and end of physical technical mastery, this is why practice should always begin with scales, then studies/ etudes / caprices, ending with various compositions for performance, enjoyment and study.
On our journey through studies and pieces, we will all encounter difficult sections, we must, or we won’t improve.
The approach and attitude towards the difficult sections can reduce and avoid a lot of frustration and wasted time. Think carefully about what you are doing, have a mental and visual map of how it will be played before making a sound.
The real practice is done in the mind and the things that are self evident just need physical familiarity.
Enjoy your practice, enjoy the instrument and most of all, love the music, and love the journey.