Guidelines for practicing a musical instrument

Friends,

Here are 12 Guidelines for Practicing a Musical Instrument
By Wynton Marsalis and Yo-Yo Ma

INSPIRATION

1 Seek out private instruction.

2 Write out a schedule, a plan with goals. (Choose pieces you enjoy playing – S.M.).
Yo-yo Ma says, never make a sound without hearing it first; hear it in your mind.

3 Set goals to chart development.

4 Concentrate when you practice.
Yo-yo says join feelings into your music when you feel bad, to integrate your feelings with your mind and body.

5 Relax and practice slowly.

6 Practice hard parts longer.

7 Practice expressively.
Be serious – invest yourself expressively.

8 Don’t be too hard on yourself.
Learn from your mistakes.

9 Don’t show off.

10 Think for yourself.
Don’t become a robot, but don’t dismiss what you’re taught.

11 Be optimistic.
Nothing sounds worse than pessimism coming through a horn.

12 Look for connections. (Make the social aspect of practicing regenerative - S.M.)
Music washes away the dust of everyday life from your feet.

Enjoy,
Scott

'Practicing - Playing a Musical Instrument,' wiki, subject page, at World University and School -

Print Guidelines For Practicing a Musical Instrument (.doc)
home: scottmacleod.com

http://scottmacleod.com/GuidelinesPracticingMusicalInstrument.htm
copyright Scott MacLeod's Arts 1998 - 2024
scott@scottmacleod.com