How to take your music skills to the next level by doing this one thing again and again? It is a simple advice but one that works the best and for sure takes your music to the next level. It is well known to many that "practice makes perfect". However, a more adequate quote would be "practice makes permanent". You can practice a piece of music many times with either the right or wrong articulations, dynamics and overall interpretation and the way you have practiced the piece of music will be the way you play it in both ensemble rehearsals and performances. Nevertheless, the saying, "practice makes perfect" is still true if the practice itself is perfect. It is also important to know that the quality of your practice is more important than the quantity of your practice.
Do you want your practice time to be more effective and productive? Do you want to learn to master a piece a music better? Here are some tips that will help you.
Practice music passages slowly at first. Our bodies have a mechanism called muscular memory, which allows us to physically carry out patterns of motion with little or no conscious effort. Examples of muscle memory include riding a bicycle, walking, typing and of course, playing a musical instrument. To develop this type of memory, the muscles that are required to do these tasks need training. This training comes in the form of repeated conscious guidance from the mind. The mind learns the pattern and therefore it teaches the pattern to the muscles while at the same time, controls all the motions of the muscles. The more controlled and precise the motions are, the quicker muscle memory will develop. By practicing a passage slowly, you will allow your mind to teach certain muscles that move in opposite directions, known as the "antagonistic muscles" to relax. Relaxation of the antagonistic muscles will decrease the risks of injury by reducing tension and to facilitate faster; leading to easier performance.
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