Getting to that single point
So after I published my post about focus and awareness in practicing… I went to practice. And, well, I was not exactly the model of what I was preach. I’d play something, and immediately want to jump on my phone, or get a drink, or fold my laundry (and if you know me in real life, you KNOW how absurd that is).
So, if you struggle like me, here are some strategies to start to rewire yourself when you practice.
Start to measure your practice by what you accomplish, not how much time you spend. If that means you’re doing less at first, that’s okay. Lip slurs, a movement of a piece, one pattern over one song- whatever it is, make it concrete and doable. And if you’re done with time to spare, do something you’ll enjoy, and next time make your agenda a little bolder.
Have an agenda, a realistic agenda. Especially right now, when you don’t have a performance hanging over your head, think about what work will make you better and address whatever issues- sound, technique, ear training, whatever. (The Alfred Music company published a good starting model) And set a goal you can reach in one or a few practice sessions. Then move the yardstick a little further back, and a little further. Set yourself up for successes, even small successes. (I’ll get into some technical advice for that soon)
Shorter focused sessions are better than long distracted sessions. Let’s say you want to practice for an hour- cut that into 15 or 30 minutes tasks, and maybe break them up over the course of a day. My hunch is that if you see success, you’ll start to make more time to play.
When you get that impulse to do something- anything- else, stop, relax, and take a deep breath or two. Sounds silly, but it works, for two reasons. a.) it takes us squarely out of our heads and back into our bodies, and b.) it’s something to do that isn’t the distraction. It helps us build a new pattern. I did this multiple times today, and boy did it help.
Learn to recognize the point of diminishing returns. When your success rate starts to dip, it’s probably better to stop and do something else. (This also applies to studying for tests, but that’s another rant.)
I’ll get into what this looks like in practice in future posts, but try incorporating these strategies into your practice, and let me know what happens!