 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2015-10-11 20:19
Most of us practice a difficult passage until we get it right, sometimes stretching it to 10 perfect renditions in a row.
Two very interesting articles show that this is not the best way:
http://www.bulletproofmusician.com/why-the-progress-in-the-practice-room-seems-to-disappear-overnight/
http://www.bulletproofmusician.com/how-do-experts-get-even-better-5-differences-between-the-practice-of-expert-and-intermediate-athletes
The takeaway is that you practice a passage for only a short time -- say, 5 minutes -- and then go to another difficult passage for another 5 minutes, etc. This is more tiring, because you're constantly switching to unfamiliar difficult passages. It's also more effective, because you're constantly working hard.
For example, working on the F# major scale in thirds, starting very slow and repeating until you have it perfectly smooth, and then increasing the tempo, could easily take 30 minutes. Nevertheless, after about 5 minutes, you're working on something you already know, which take less effort and can become mechanical and boring. Going to a different scale -- say, Eb minor in thirds -- presents new difficulties, the solving of which takes more effort.
In excerpts, you could easily work on the big solo from Semiramide for 30 minutes before getting it perfect, and the same for Midsummer Night's dream, the slow movement of the Beethoven 6th and the opening bars of the Nielsen Concerto. Rotate them, spending only 5 minutes at a time, with full and fresh attention.
Next, play a Rose etude. At the beginning of line 2, start transposing up a step. At line 3, go down a step, at line 4 up 1/2 step, at line 5 down 1/2 step. Then grab a bassoon or cello part and read bass clef, and then bass clef up a step.
Anything to keep the difficulty fresh.
Ken Shaw
Post Edited (2015-10-11 20:22)
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Author: CarlT
Date: 2015-10-13 23:50
Thanks, Ken. I certainly hadn't thought of that, but for sure I'm going to try it.
After awhile, practicing the conventional way, I get either bored, tired and/or my mind does funny things, and I mess up, so perhaps this will work.
CarlT
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Author: nellsonic
Date: 2015-10-14 00:52
For me, changing things up while practicing is very often beneficial. I would include this approach, but only as another act of changing, not as a permanent prescription. There are times when extended immersion in a work or passage are both deeply satisfying and highly productive. However, one should always be careful not to practice past the point of diminishing returns.
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2015-10-16 18:19
nellsonic wrote,
>For me, changing things up while practicing is very often beneficial. >
Same here. Some days, if I try to concentrate on one thing for a long time, I realize at some point that my mind is wandering and that I'm doing nothing but repeating the same mistakes -- or, worse, making sloppy new mistakes but failing to notice them. On those days, I'm much better off switching tasks frequently. Other days, I concentrate so intensely that breaking off to work on something else would make no sense.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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Author: JonTheReeds
Date: 2015-10-18 22:59
I like the idea of this, but what advice do you have if after 5 mins (or whenever you are going to change to the next exercise) you are still not playing the first exercise correctly? You could just continually be playing things wrong?
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The older I get, the better I was
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Author: JonTheReeds
Date: 2015-10-18 23:37
I like the idea of this, but what advice do you have if after 5 mins (or whenever you are going to change to the next exercise) you are still not playing the first exercise correctly? You could just continually be playing things wrong?
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The older I get, the better I was
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Author: JonTheReeds
Date: 2015-10-18 23:38
I like the idea of this, but what advice do you have if after 5 mins (or whenever you are going to change to the next exercise) you are still not playing the first exercise correctly? You could just continually be playing things wrong?
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The older I get, the better I was
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2015-10-19 15:37
Hi Jon,
No -- you would focus on dramatically improving the first measure (or phrase) of the exercise, as opposed to playing through the whole things a couple times in 5 minutes but not really isolating/identifying what needs to be done. You would only continue playing things wrong if you aren't actually fixing anything.
I use this method primarily for a year and a half (maybe more? Whenever the article was first published) and it has paid off hugely.
With many of my students I advocate either the exact same application of the interleaved practice method, or something similar: clarinet for 15/20 minutes, english homework, clarinet, math homework, clarinet, etc etc etc.. It helps both the practice and the homework to be more effective.
James
Gnothi Seauton
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