Sounds I like

Tapping away on the computer keyboard.

Crickets chirruping in the twilight meadow.

A log fire crackling into light.

The window cleaner's tuneless whistling.

The zing of a Jaw's Harp.

Rain - when I am snug indoors.

The purr of a happy cat.

Someone sawing wood.

Next door's Harley, revving up.

Waves crashing in.

Best of all after a day's work - peace and quiet!

What are you favourite sounds? Hz

Refreshed

It's good to have a break sometimes.

Maybe a couple of days away from your instrument.

Tie it in with that trip to the mountains if you like.

Or maybe when you have family to stay.

Think of it - a weekend doing something completely different.

You'll come back to your music refreshed.

So, after you return, aim to resume good habits from day one.

Little and often. Every day is best.

Remember to blitz and blast those bad bits.

Convince me they were never ever terrible.

Want to run it past me now? Hz

Doing it well

Ready to try something new in your practising this week?

How about you do your work as well as you possibly can each time?

Every scale.

Every exercise.

Every part of every piece?

Paying attention to making the most beautiful sound you can make.

See, a lot of the time, we make do with the minimum.

We think of other things while we work and then rush out the door at the end.

Sounds like someone released from jail.

With a bit of extra effort, we can transform our work.

Guess what? You'll feel so much better about it. Hz

Those bad bits need you

Life gets busy sometimes.

I know you have work, school, college, kids, laundry, sleep, chores etc. to fit into your life.

So, how can you use your practising time better?

All together now - WORK ON WHAT YOU NEED TO DO.

Easier said than done.

See, I know you always like playing your pieces in the right order.

And then you think it's done.

Even when that piece goes badly wrong in the same place each time.

Why don't you just work on the bad bits each day and then stop?

It will take far less time.

How about you try it and let me know if it works or not? Hz

So far?

A month and a half of lessons.

Has it been FUN?

Have you noticed a difference?

Has your teacher noticed a difference?

Can you check in to see if you are happier with your playing?

Is there a new piece you can play since resuming in September?

Do you still need to try to do some work every day?

Do you need to focus in on the hard bits more?

We've got the ball rolling again.

It would be a shame to lose some ground over the holiday.

I ask loads of questions, I know. You could send me one, too, remember. Hz

First

Some people do their practising in the morning.

Before school, work or college.

What a great way to start your day!

If everyone in your house is up and about, it might work for you.

Think about it - instead of practising when you are tired out

you will have done some good work, fresh as a daisy.

If this doesn't appeal, how about doing it as soon as you get home?

Instead of it being last on your list of things to do.

Instead of leaving it until you're too tired to care.

Instead of deciding not to bother today.

Find a good time to do your work. And the begin! Hz

Not just the night before

There were lots of tears here the other day.

Small person couldn't play any of their homework.

They got in such a state they could hardly play anything at all.

And ended up hurling the little violin onto the sofa.

Took a while to find out that - brace yourself -

They leave all their practising until the night before their lesson.

And spend the next day dreading that lesson.

The lesson is meant to be the highlight of your week.

Practise little and often, every day is best.

Hope you are getting to do the same.

Look forward to the time you spend with your instrument.

It's meant to be fun, not an ordeal! Hz

Pick a line

Want to check if that piece is ready to play to your teacher?

Try this game called Pick a line.

Level 1 - Pick a line from your piece.

See if you can play it at the correct speed with no mistakes.

If you make a mistake, you get one more chance - start the line again.

Don't carry on and play the rest of the piece.

Note which lines need more careful work.

Leave out the easy lines and do what you need to do instead.

When you've worked on the tricky lines, try on another day.

Level 2 - play again but this time link up several lines, say 4, 2, 7.

Same rules.

Level 3 - play the whole piece beautifully in the right order.

If you make a mistake GAME OVER.

Try again tomorrow.

It might be tricky at first, but remember to have FUN! Hz

That playlist

Got a piece ready?

Great!

Now we need to keep it on the boil.

Remember to try it a couple of times a week, straight through.

Listen carefully to make sure you are making a good sound.

You might want to start a list in your notebook.

You might want to keep a playlist pile you can find easily.

But more important than that - find an opportunity to play it.

This could be to your teacher, a friend, someone in your family.

Start small and see how it goes.

Bet they love it. Hz

Playlist

How about another small aim?

Once you have finished a piece you like, how about adding it to a playlist?

What this means is that over time, you will develop a repertoire.

This is a good thing for all sorts of reasons, like.....

You could play to Aunt Bertha when she comes round for tea.

You could perform at the charity fundraiser.

You will have audition pieces ready to play for the band/orchestra/show.

You can have a jam with friends. (More about jamming in another post.)

So, choose a finished piece or 2 that you really like.

At the END of your practising session, have a play of it aiming for no blips.

This is what we are really aiming for. It's so good to play it all in the right order, but only when you can DO it. Hz