IntellectualMusician.com

In order for practicing to be efficient and productive, a degree of organisation should be installed.
You need to be clear as to what it is you are intending to practice/learn and how you are going to go about it. To make the best use of your precious time you need to divide your allocated practice time to cover the variety of areas you need to address.

Lets have a look at an old practice routine of mine.

This was a constantly evolving plan that alters as my learning and practice moves on.
This is an early incarnation and covers 6 areas of learning I was involved in.

· Sight Reading
· Ear Training
· Scale Practice
· Chord Practice
· Improvisation
· Song Learning/ Progressions

I would generally practice over a 1hr period.
I’d divide the 60 minutes by the 6 areas giving me 10 minutes each, I reduced this to 8 minutes so that I had a 2 minute break between each section.
BREAKS ARE IMPORTANT!

Before the practice commenced I would list what I was about to practice and have the relevant materials available.

Essential materials for me were the exercises I would be working through, a metronome and a diary that I kept a list of bpm and progress I had made.

Each section would be worked on for the allocated time, which was timed with a device that could countdown and beep when the 8 minutes had elapsed. Upon hearing the beep I would stop straightway. I had 2 minutes to prepare for the next area. I used this break to organise myself and breathe and briefly relax.

This method ensured short and highly focused passages of practice. Little and often is the secret. Elongated periods of repetitive practice are often unproductive. The brain prefers to learn in short bursts.

Once the schedule has been worked through for the allocated periods of time, I could then return to areas I felt I would like to spend more time on. These were usually the parts I enjoyed most.

Psychologically it is better to start practice sessions with the areas you are weakest on and less inclined to practice. End sessions on the areas you enjoy most as this allows you to finish the session on a positive note and thus more inclined to practice again.

So the essential points are:

· Allocate time periods
· Have the practice regime organised.
· Keep records of your progress.
· Little and Often

This routine is a template that I used and continue to use. Feel free adapt it and increase your productivity.

more articles by Richie Jovie

• Exercise of Doom Part Deux
• Exercise of Doom pt1
• Introducing the Major Scale.