Author: theclarinetist
Date: 2003-12-01 05:18
What do you practice? I will agree that practicing scales and whatnot can be sort of a drag (even though it can become such a routine that you don't even think about it). When I play my scales/thirds/chords/etc, I feel like one of those polar bears swimming in the same circle over and over again at the zoo. For me, being able to go into "auto-pilot" for the more tedious stuff makes it a lot easier.
As far as rep goes, I have a load of clarinet music, and I could easily just go through it for hours playing some of this and some of that... if you are preparing a certain piece, this approach won't really help you. But if you're just trying to practice anything, this works for me. Also, you'd be suprised how little most college freshman know about the rep for their instrument (obviously, people on this board are more interested and devoted probably, so that isn't directed at any of you). When I did a year of music major, I found that most other clarinet players didn't know much more than Mozart, Weber, Brahms, and maybe a few others (and by know, I mean heard of). This wasn't everybody, of course. Even though most performance majors are probably geared more towards orchestral playing or other ensembles, working on solos (even if I was just sightreading) was always a way to keep me excited and making me more familiar with the literature at the same time.
One other thing that works for me is to make up goals. I'm preparing a piece for a competition right now but for some reason just can't bring myself to practice it willingly. If I decide I'm going to perfect the first 4 or 5 lines (or whatever I pick), then I have more realistic goals. If I just sit down with it and work randomly, I usually give up after 10-15 minutes, then start playing something else. Setting realistic goals really helps me out.
Don Hite
theclarinetist@yahoo.com
Disclaimer- I quit being a music major. It wasn't because of my playing or my inability to practice (actually, I used to practice about 4 hours a day at music school). It just wasn't for me . So if you're looking for advice on how to stay a music major, I may not be the best guy to listen to. However, I do play recitals, teach, and do gigs, so I'm still pretty active in that regard so I may be doing something right (who the heck knows, though..)
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