Do you ever wonder how people get to be amazing players in so little time?
Do you find yourself saying that "there are not enough hours in the day to get everything done?"
Thankfully, you don't have to have your instrument in front of you to be able to have great strides in your playing. This, of course, is best when you combine it with actual practicing and when you have a couple of years of experience.
There's no substitute for hard work and dedication, but there's going to be times where you won't have the chance to take out your instrument and practice.
It can be situations like:
It's past 10 P.M. and you live with other people
You're driving (or in a moving car)
You want to practice more, but you're too physically tired
You have commitments that won't allow you to take out your instrument and practice (like in an airport)
You have a performance injury or are recovering from one and you're slowly getting back into a regular practice routine
I know that this is not the ideal case scenario, but we only have 24 hours in a day. If we're spending some of that time sleeping, some of that time going to work or going to school (or both), and we have to eat, then we need to be very intentional and efficient with the time that we do have.
Before I dive into the steps, this is a follow-up to my performance injury story and all the ways that I wish I had to overcome my performance injury.
Let's dive into it, shall we?!
Sing Your Music
This is honestly one method that probably most people do and they don't realize that this is a method of practicing. I know that most of us do this when we're really in love with a piece, but it's also a great way to build your interpretation and understanding of your repertoire.
If you're singing your music out loud, it's also a way to memorize your music without spending hours and hours woodshedding on a piece.
Remember: If you can sing it, you can play it. This is because you are solidifying your interpretation and you're also practicing the patterns. If you combine this with a good understanding of where the harmony is going, singing can be extremely effective.
Singing through your music allows you the opportunity to practice your breathing and phrasing without having to worry too much about the technical aspects of flute playing.
2. Study Your Score
Score study is going to depend on where you are on your musical journey. If you are a younger flutist, then in the most basic level, it's listening to the music and following along with your part or the score. In contrast, if you are a bit more advanced and you understand music theory, you're going to want to make note of all the pivotal points of the piece, how your part interacts with other parts and any tricky patterns that you see in your music.
This is especially important when you are working on any pieces with a collaborative pianist or in large ensembles because, in order to be a great collaborator and a great musician, you have to be aware of what's going on around you.
One more thing about score studying:
Practicing in this way also teaches you how to have a more informed interpretation because you know what's going on.
3. Visualize Your Practice
Visualization is a total life-saver for when you have to be driving, it's late at night, or you're just not in a place where you can practice. With the rise of repetitive stress injuries (look at how much time we spend on a computer and on mobile devices), visualization is a great tool to have in your arsenal.
In case you don't know how to track your screen time, here are some articles to check your screen time on iPhone and on Android.
In case you don't know, visualization is when you're imagining yourself playing the flute (or any instrument) in exactly the same way you would if you were physically practicing.
In my performance injury story, I discussed how alike musicians are to athletes and one of the main ways we are like athletes is how much training and dedication we need to be at the top of our field. According to guidelines written by the U.S.A. Olympic Team, "Visualization is used as a regular part of athlete's practice and it actually trains the mind and body to perform the skill imagined."
Even if you don't have a performance injury, this is a great strategy to use to be able to practice when you're in a pinch.
4. AirPlay Your Instrument
Air playing your instrument can be extremely effective because it gives you the chance to hold the position of playing your instrument without the weight of the instrument (especially if your instrument is made of solid silver, gold, or platinum).
Airplay gives you the chance to simulate playing even if you can't spend too much time playing because of an injury. This is especially helpful in front of a full-body mirror so that you can modify your playing position as needed.
I know that it seems silly because an instrument doesn't weigh too much, but after 2, 3, or 4 hours (or even 8 hours for some people), that instrument in your hands can really feel like a mountain of bricks.
So please promise me that you will try it out?
5. Listen to Recordings
In my eyes, this is extremely valuable. If you've read my extended about me post, then you'll know that I didn't really have access to private lessons all the time. The best way that I was able to learn was by example: by listening to the professionals perform whatever I was working on.
To add another layer to this, I would go as far as looking for live performances.
Yes, you read that right.
Live performances because will give you a realistic view of how everyday musicians play.
Those beautifully mastered and edited recordings from albums and Spotify?
Those are not real.
Yes, it's pretty amazing to listen to recordings from CDs (if you guys even own them anymore) and Spotify, but listening to live recordings can be more helpful because it helps us realize that nobody is perfect.
We can strive to play the best we can, but no one is perfect. So strive to be your best.
6. Watch Your Own Recordings
The only way that we can change something is if we're aware of it.
I know, you might be saying, "I really don't like listening back to my own recordings" or "I'm listening as I'm playing", but the truth is that the brain doesn't do a very good job with multi-tasking.
I get that you have listen to yourself as you play (we all do it), but the best way to make sure that nothing falls through the cracks is recording yourself while you play flute and scheduling another time to listen to them.
The other aspect to this is that we hear things differently when the flute is on our face vs. listening back to a recording of ourselves playing. Don't limit yourself to recordings of your practice sessions either— if your teacher allows you to, record your lessons and listen back. You'd be surprised the things you learn.
Listening to your own recordings is super helpful because:
You can become more aware of impurities in the sound
You can use a metronome and click it along with your playing to find out if your recordings matches with the metronome
Watch your body alignment if it's in video
If you're recording lessons with a teacher (with their permission of course), you can listen back and take notes
It allows you to plan future practice sessions
I truly hope that this helps you and let me know in the comments if you have tried any of these tips!
Don't have a flute teacher? Click HERE to set up a free 30-minute trial lesson!
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