4 Ways to Make Your Practice Time More Effective

Do you want to make the most of your practice time? Do you want to make sure that the way you practice leads to steady improvement? Here are four tips to help you practice more effectively. These tips are recommended by many professional violinists, and we know they work from personal experience.

1. Practice in Small Sections If you only practice a piece by playing it all the way through, you won’t improve quickly. You’ll most likely end up fumbling through the difficult sections and rushing past the easier ones. You’ll improve your playing more quickly by working in smaller sections, so you can focus on making those individual sections better. Later you can put the pieces together and work on longer sections together. 
   

   Here’s a video about practicing in small sections: https://youtu.be/IVfEsbGtPlQ?si=UdeUGmahZTSKM-9S&t=91 
   

2. Play Slowly Playing fast right away will not help you learn your piece. Practice slowly and carefully so you learn how to play the notes well from the very beginning. It’s important to establish the correct muscle memory so you don’t have to spend more time relearning parts later on. This will not only help with note accuracy, but also with memorizing the piece. 
   

   (Some experts recommend that you practice slowly for most of your practice time.)

   https://youtu.be/h3xEHigWShM?si=GYbm0PXC89Xg9tDM&t=55
   

3. Ignore Dynamics (Sometimes) When you play loudly without worrying about dynamic markings (sound volume symbols like "mf" or "pp") in your music, you can focus more attention on other facets of your playing, like intonation, shifting, articulation, and note accuracy. This will help you develop an understanding of the technical aspects of your playing, as well as targeting any mistakes you might be making. Once you get a good grasp on the piece, you can start incorporating the written dynamics.
   

4. Practice Daily Practicing 20 minutes a day for a week is better than practicing once a week for two hours. Practicing daily helps you retain muscle memory and helps build finger stamina. It’s like exercising.