# Hi. I'm having a hard time finding material on practice and how we learn that goes in



## OktoberStorm (Feb 21, 2016)

Hi. I'm having a hard time finding material on practice and how we learn that goes in depth. Is it optimal to change out etudes and exercises every three months for something new, should one practice the same plan every day or have a three or four day rotation, physiologically speaking is it wise to practice five days and not at all for two days etc. Questions like that.

I know there's a lot of opinions and personal experiences, but in this post I'm only looking for existing studies and literature. I'll post this same question to you guys when, or if, I've found something interesting.


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## 20centrfuge (Apr 13, 2007)

I am doubtful that you will find research studies on this, but I am sure you can find literature on this subject, BUT, that literature will simply be "opinions and personal experiences." So, I can imagine you see the dilemma.


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## dsphipps100 (Jan 10, 2016)

Hi OktoberStorm, you didn't specify if you're a college student pursuing a career in music or if you're a student in some other level/field, so I'm going to assume that you're a college student or something similar and that you're pursuing a professional career in music. (Please correct me if I'm wrong about that.







)

Speaking as a life-long professional clarinet player, I can tell you there are only two important points you need to take into consideration in constructing a practice routine for yourself. The first is that it absolutely MUST be a routine that you enjoy doing and are comfortable with. Forget all the claptrap garbage young conservatory firebrands go around boasting that "I'm gonna force myself to learn to like it" or other such nonsense. If it's not something that you look forward to doing on a regular basis, then you will eventually burn out and quit. That's not saying anything about you, of course, since I don't even know you, it's just human nature (including me, I'm speaking from experience here).

The other point is that, whatever routine you establish for yourself (and there is no right or wrong, so long as you are showing up for rehearsals/performances adequately prepared), YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY GOT TO STICK WITH IT.

Don't give yourself a day off during the week with the excuse that, "Well, I'll make up for it this weekend." Uh huh, sure yeah, whatever. (Again, I'm speaking from experience here.)

For a music student, practicing is your JOB, the same as construction workers clock in at their jobsite, restaurant workers clock in at their workplace, school teachers have to sign in at the office, etc. The problem is that you are only signing in with yourself, so it makes the accountability a bit more challenging. (Hint: When I was in college, I was part of a trio of friends all of whom helped hold each other accountable. We agreed on a practice schedule that was exactly the same for all of us, and we made sure that each other showed up before going into our separate practice rooms to get to work. If anybody didn't show up, they heard about it, and sometimes not very kindly. Oh, and we were also not allowed to do "extra" practice outside the others' schedule. We discovered pretty quickly that we would all use that as a trick to lie to each other about how "Oh, I did my time earlier this afternoon when you were in such-and-such class, so I'll just stay in my dorm this evening." We all agreed to put a stop to that pretty ____ quick when we realized what we were doing to ourselves.)

Now, as for your individual routine, it depends on what your instrument/discipline is, obviously, but generally speaking, you should first begin with a set amount of time spent on warmups and fundamentals. You don't want to completely exhaust yourself here, because you haven't even gotten to the important part yet, but you still need to push yourself somewhat, because this is where you are going to condition the muscles involved in performing (such as lips for brass players, for example).

As you become more advanced with your instrument/discipline, you can occasionally modify this part of your routine so that it always remains just slightly challenging for you. (Don't make it _too_ challenging, however, or you'll wear yourself out before you even reach the important part of your practice session, not to mention that you could even cause physical damage to muscle tissue that might even require medical attention. Don't laugh, I've seen it happen.







)

I can't give you any specific exercises for warmups and/or fundamentals (especially without knowing your instrument/discipline), but if you have a teacher, either a private instructor or a school teacher, they might be able to make some suggestions geared specifically for you. (I'm a former band director, so if you tell us what instrument you play, I could actually make a few suggestions for you.)

Take a short break (probably 5-10 minutes) after your warmup/fundamentals workout, and then get started on whatever literature you are working on, such as for your next lesson or your next upcoming performance.

There is no magic number for how often to "change out etudes and exercises". I would generally say that, as soon as they get easy for you, it's time to move on to something that's not so easy.

When you are finished, it's a good idea to take around 2-3 minutes to "cool down", just playing something soft, low-pitched, and involving as little physical activity as possible while still producing a sound.

Then come back and do it again the next day/week.

As for a schedule, you have to make that choice for yourself. I have spent most of my life practicing ca. 5 days a week and taking weekends off. (Remember, this is a job, and people with jobs like to have 1-2 days off every week. Only slaves have to work 24/7/365, so don't make yourself into a slave.)

I have absolutely no idea how much this might or might not help, but I hope it at least gives you a few general tips that might get you going in the right direction.

Good luck.


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## dsphipps100 (Jan 10, 2016)

Something else that I will also add, just speaking to anybody in general who happens to see this thread. I'm going to state something that will seem obvious, yet hardly anybody ever seems to realize it in truth:

You will only ever perform as well as you practice.

Stop and think about that a moment.

Do not EVER learn a passage only 90%, thinking to yourself that you'll be able to push yourself the other 10% when the actual moment arrives. Uh unh, it doesn't work that way. In fact, when you add in the nerves and adrenaline of a performance situation, you can actually count on your performance quality to go DOWN about 10%.

Again, like before, that's not saying anything about you, that's just human nature in general. But whatever level of excellence you are aiming at, you must SURPASS it in practice when you're at your most emotionally unstressed, not the other way around.

Another point also: I was in an orchestra while I was in high school, and we used to do a lot of different literature like Tchaikovsky, Enescu, Bizet, Sibelius, etc. I didn't want to only emulate the same level that the other students around me reached, however. I wanted to be better than any of them, simply because I'm cocky and arrogant enough that I like being first chair, and I like everybody staring at me in amazement while I show them "how it's done".







(I'm afraid I probably haven't improved much on that, over the years, although at least I've learned to be more brutally honest about it.







)

So I would get recordings of the world's greatest orchestras (Chicago, Berlin, Amsterdam, etc.) performing the pieces that we were working on, and then, as a _part_ of my practice, I would play along with those recordings. (There were times that I actually had to teach myself how to play a part way faster than my orchestra was doing it!) And I would try to play it just as if I was IN that orchestra. I didn't want the local student orchestra as my standard, I wanted the greatest orchestras in the world as my standard.

It was really interesting how, afterward, when it was time for the next rehearsal, everybody around me was still struggling to figure out how it should go, and meanwhile, here's Phipps over here just whipping it out like he's in the Chicago Symphony or something.









And my secret was simply that, by learning the part alongside of that recording, I was setting my own personal bar a lot higher than the others.

It's also important that you spend a lot of time listening to recordings of the greatest musicians in the world playing YOUR instrument, so that you can get a concept of sound that's based on the best people in the world instead of just whoever your local teacher or fellow students are.

As a clarinet player who grew up in Oklahoma, I didn't give a rat's ___ what my other students (or even my teacher, to be honest) thought was "good enough" sound, I could hear those guys in the Chicago Symphony, the Boston Symphony, the Berliner Philharmoniker, etc., and what they sounded like, and THAT'S what *I* wanted to sound like!

So use whatever resources are available to keep your own standards as high as possible.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

dsphipps100 said:


> Something else that I will also add, just speaking to anybody in general who happens to see this thread. I'm going to state something that will seem obvious, yet hardly anybody ever seems to realize it in truth:
> 
> You will only ever perform as well as you practice.
> 
> ...


Read this carefully, very wise words :tiphat:


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## dsphipps100 (Jan 10, 2016)

Pugg said:


> Read this carefully, very wise words :tiphat:


Thanks Pugg, I appreciate that.


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## OktoberStorm (Feb 21, 2016)

I have to stress that I'm looking for studies made on learning and the physiology involved in practice. I'm not looking for advice. Quoting my post: "in this post I'm only looking for existing studies and literature."

Many studies and lots of literature have been made on sports; I'm looking for the musical counterpart.


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## dsphipps100 (Jan 10, 2016)

OktoberStorm said:


> I have to stress that I'm looking for studies made on learning and the physiology involved in practice. I'm not looking for advice. Quoting my post: "in this post I'm only looking for existing studies and literature."
> 
> Many studies and lots of literature have been made on sports; I'm looking for the musical counterpart.


One of the most popular books on sports training is "The Inner Game of Tennis" by W. Timothy Gallwey. Gallwey later co-authored "The Inner Game of Music" with Barry Green, who was the principal bass player in the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. You should be able to find both books with no problem on Amazon.


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## OktoberStorm (Feb 21, 2016)

Those are good recommendations, I own and have read both. But I think my answers might lie in the realm of neurology and pedagogy, I'm not sure. I'll report back if I find anything.


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## 20centrfuge (Apr 13, 2007)

As far as muscle memory and skill acquisition, I would say you are right to be thinking of looking into neurology and sports science.


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