Violin Practice Tips: How to Practice Effectively

Learning an instrument, like playing a sport, takes practice. Yet there is one way in which playing an instrument differs from playing a sport. While you are on the court, in the field, or in the rink, you have a coach to drill you and teammates to hold you accountable. Yet with violin, you have your one-hour per week lesson, after which you are left to fend for yourself in the practice room. Very often, even the most dedicated musicians do not know how to practice effectively. How can you make the most of your practice time?

Atmosphere

Whatever you do, do NOT practice in your room. Your room is a time-sucking black hole. With the computer, internet, TV, and phone, it is far too tempting to procrastinate. I always tell myself, "Oh I'll just check my email for five minutes and then go back to practice." It never works out that way. Find a nice room with plenty of lighting, no distractions, preferable with a window. I like to use the classrooms on Yale campus. It really helps to be able to practice with a full-length mirror, that way I can monitor my posture and hand positions. When I don't have access to a mirror, I like to practice at night, that way I can see myself through the window. I accomplish more in half an hour in a classroom than I do in two hours in my room.

Inspiration

It is one thing to follow your teacher's instructions and to know what a piece of music should sound like. It is quite another to see it in action. Listen to recordings-play along with them. Attend concerts. Watch old videos of the greats-Menuhin, Heifetz, Oistrakh-you can even find clips of them on youtube. There is nothing like a little inspiration to get you going. Athletes look to the greats as role models. Musicians could do the same.

Isolate the Elements

There are many qualities that make a great violinist. It's a complete package. Yet when you are home practicing, it can be overwhelming to try to do everything at once, especially when you are learning a difficult concerto. One of the best practice methods is to isolate the elements. Pick one skill or passage you want to perfect and spend a little time doing just that. Spend 20 minutes working on just intonation-listen to each note carefully and don't move onto the next one until that note is perfectly in tune Practicing with a tuner also helps. While you are working on tuning, only work on tuning. Spend 20 minutes working on just the rhythm. If you don't have a practice coach to clap the beats for you, get a metronome. Take a short passage, start with a slow tempo and gradually work your way up. Spend 20 minutes working on just your bow arm-don't even worry about notes. Just think about your hand position, the quality of the stroke, making sure your elbows and wrists are in the right place. Practicing can be overwhelming, but it becomes much easier when you break it up into small manageable tasks.

If you are still overwhelmed, burned out, or unmotivated, take a break from your practice routine and just have a little fun-listen to a great recording, improvise some fiddle tunes, jam with your friends, or even take a short break from practicing and come back when you are more inspired. At the end of the day, music is supposed to fun. When you enjoy it, everyone around you enjoys it too.