Comments on: 10-Minute Music Practice http://blog.discmakers.com/2010/03/10-minute-music-practice/ Insight for Independent Artists Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:35:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Rebecca Hopkins http://blog.discmakers.com/2010/03/10-minute-music-practice/comment-page-1/#comment-3908 Rebecca Hopkins Sun, 21 Nov 2010 20:59:25 +0000 http://blog.discmakers.com/?p=4034#comment-3908 Maybe the next book for this author will cover do it yourself brain surgery. 10 minutes? Looking to make money selling a book that is a bunch of garbage. Hope no one buys it, both the book and the premise. Maybe the next book for this author will cover do it yourself brain surgery. 10 minutes? Looking to make money selling a book that is a bunch of garbage. Hope no one buys it, both the book and the premise.

]]> By: Virgil Mandanici http://blog.discmakers.com/2010/03/10-minute-music-practice/comment-page-1/#comment-2839 Virgil Mandanici Thu, 15 Jul 2010 18:44:10 +0000 http://blog.discmakers.com/?p=4034#comment-2839 I fully agree Ryan; If my students do not "rotate" the old goods, then it eventually becomes lost, so I have them divide their practices up. I fully agree Ryan; If my students do not “rotate” the old goods, then it eventually becomes lost, so I have them divide their practices up.

]]> By: Curt http://blog.discmakers.com/2010/03/10-minute-music-practice/comment-page-1/#comment-2590 Curt Tue, 08 Jun 2010 21:48:50 +0000 http://blog.discmakers.com/?p=4034#comment-2590 If this gets someone to practice.. it is a great thing. It may lead them to enjoying practice sessions. Now that is the magic dust! Reducing the stress level in a healthy way will always accelerate growth. Personally, I always practice with a timer set to 10 minutes. I try to alternate activities, avoiding two similar activities in a row. The goal is to keep my attention focused ie. digital pattern by a sound project etc. The average attention span wanes way before ten minutes of focus. This fatigue tends to deliver that numb/irritable sensation that seems to follow really intense practice. The timer really makes that much better and helps turn over material... not wasting time after your already burnt out on something. I can productively practice a couple hours at a stretch like this and still feel like playing after I finish... no more practice hang over. Have fun! If this gets someone to practice.. it is a great thing. It may lead them to enjoying practice sessions. Now that is the magic dust! Reducing the stress level in a healthy way will always accelerate growth. Personally, I always practice with a timer set to 10 minutes. I try to alternate activities, avoiding two similar activities in a row. The goal is to keep my attention focused ie. digital pattern by a sound project etc. The average attention span wanes way before ten minutes of focus. This fatigue tends to deliver that numb/irritable sensation that seems to follow really intense practice. The timer really makes that much better and helps turn over material… not wasting time after your already burnt out on something. I can productively practice a couple hours at a stretch like this and still feel like playing after I finish… no more practice hang over. Have fun!

]]> By: Alex Brubaker http://blog.discmakers.com/2010/03/10-minute-music-practice/comment-page-1/#comment-2506 Alex Brubaker Wed, 26 May 2010 17:39:33 +0000 http://blog.discmakers.com/?p=4034#comment-2506 I don’t do much of anything that I consider “practice.” Instead, I’m constantly writing new material that utilizes the techniques that I most want to improve upon. Yes, this results in a countless number of potential songs that are “thrown away,” but through that entire time I am both creating and working on things that I would like to get better at. Ultimately it still takes me a few weeks to come up with something that I want to start working into my sets, but the process, I believe, accomplishes more than what “practice” can by continuously holding my attention and allowing me to create while improving. When I was younger, I took 4 years of lessons. At the beginning of that time I was an eager young student wanting to learn to play the guitar. As time progressed, however, I was no longer interested in learning some Pink Floyd lick or Dave Matthews song. Instead, I wanted to start expressing all of the musical ideas that were going on in my head. This made practicing to prepare for lessons quite a drag and not nearly as rewarding. I believe taking structured lessons like this were important, but since I have stopped taking lessons, I have seen myself improve at a faster rate than I thought possible. I believe a lot of my philosophy on practice stems from my genre as well. Recently discovering percussive fingerstyle (Andy McKee, Antoine Dufour, etc.), I’ve pushed myself to start experimenting with everything from the percussive elements to things like prepared guitar. From what I have experienced so far, the only way to “practice” this sort of thing is by doing; by writing and experimenting; by playing what you hear in your head – not by structuring your time to work on individual techniques that have hardly been pioneered. Just my thoughts... Basically, figure out how you learn best and then play accordingly. If that's by practicing, don't limit yourself to 10 minutes a day, though. I don’t do much of anything that I consider “practice.” Instead, I’m constantly writing new material that utilizes the techniques that I most want to improve upon. Yes, this results in a countless number of potential songs that are “thrown away,” but through that entire time I am both creating and working on things that I would like to get better at. Ultimately it still takes me a few weeks to come up with something that I want to start working into my sets, but the process, I believe, accomplishes more than what “practice” can by continuously holding my attention and allowing me to create while improving.

When I was younger, I took 4 years of lessons. At the beginning of that time I was an eager young student wanting to learn to play the guitar. As time progressed, however, I was no longer interested in learning some Pink Floyd lick or Dave Matthews song. Instead, I wanted to start expressing all of the musical ideas that were going on in my head. This made practicing to prepare for lessons quite a drag and not nearly as rewarding. I believe taking structured lessons like this were important, but since I have stopped taking lessons, I have seen myself improve at a faster rate than I thought possible.

I believe a lot of my philosophy on practice stems from my genre as well. Recently discovering percussive fingerstyle (Andy McKee, Antoine Dufour, etc.), I’ve pushed myself to start experimenting with everything from the percussive elements to things like prepared guitar. From what I have experienced so far, the only way to “practice” this sort of thing is by doing; by writing and experimenting; by playing what you hear in your head – not by structuring your time to work on individual techniques that have hardly been pioneered.

Just my thoughts… Basically, figure out how you learn best and then play accordingly. If that’s by practicing, don’t limit yourself to 10 minutes a day, though.

]]> By: Rick Stone http://blog.discmakers.com/2010/03/10-minute-music-practice/comment-page-1/#comment-1884 Rick Stone Sun, 21 Mar 2010 13:50:40 +0000 http://blog.discmakers.com/?p=4034#comment-1884 Although I SHOULD point out that I agree with the idea that 10 Minutes of REALLY PRACTICING is infinitely better than an hour of just "playing." BIG DIFFERENCE. I've certainly noticed this when I had tons of gigs, 4 hours a night, 6 nights a week, but NO time to practice. My playing would be in steady decline during these periods, even though I was playing a lot. To really get the most of of your playing AND your practice, you've got to strike a balance. Playing is largely about just "getting through" the material. Practice is about "fixing the mistakes." Don't you wish you had a time machine when you just screwed up a difficult passage? When you practice, you DO! You can go back to the mistake, figure out what you SHOULD have done, and work on it until you can execute it flawlessly. For a jazz musician, this is a CONSTANT process, even on the material we know, because we DON'T play the same solos night after night. They evolve and change (and hopefully keep improving!) Although I SHOULD point out that I agree with the idea that 10 Minutes of REALLY PRACTICING is infinitely better than an hour of just “playing.” BIG DIFFERENCE. I’ve certainly noticed this when I had tons of gigs, 4 hours a night, 6 nights a week, but NO time to practice. My playing would be in steady decline during these periods, even though I was playing a lot. To really get the most of of your playing AND your practice, you’ve got to strike a balance. Playing is largely about just “getting through” the material. Practice is about “fixing the mistakes.” Don’t you wish you had a time machine when you just screwed up a difficult passage? When you practice, you DO! You can go back to the mistake, figure out what you SHOULD have done, and work on it until you can execute it flawlessly. For a jazz musician, this is a CONSTANT process, even on the material we know, because we DON’T play the same solos night after night. They evolve and change (and hopefully keep improving!)

]]> By: Rick Stone http://blog.discmakers.com/2010/03/10-minute-music-practice/comment-page-1/#comment-1882 Rick Stone Sun, 21 Mar 2010 05:05:36 +0000 http://blog.discmakers.com/?p=4034#comment-1882 Focus IS crucial, but 10 minutes? Most great jazz musicians practiced upwards of 6 hours a day when they were learning (and often a lot more). MANY great musicians that I've spoken with feel that it takes about 2 hours to get "in the zone." There's a physical aspect to practicing that just doesn't even start to happen until you're REALLY warmed up. I notice a tremendous difference in how I relate to my instrument after the first few hours, and it's something that I need to do daily. If I'm playing 4-hour gigs EVERY night, I don't feel like I need quite as much practice for the physical aspect, but still want to put in a LOT more time on learning NEW material. Sorry, but 10 minutes isn't even scratching the surface. Focus IS crucial, but 10 minutes? Most great jazz musicians practiced upwards of 6 hours a day when they were learning (and often a lot more). MANY great musicians that I’ve spoken with feel that it takes about 2 hours to get “in the zone.” There’s a physical aspect to practicing that just doesn’t even start to happen until you’re REALLY warmed up. I notice a tremendous difference in how I relate to my instrument after the first few hours, and it’s something that I need to do daily. If I’m playing 4-hour gigs EVERY night, I don’t feel like I need quite as much practice for the physical aspect, but still want to put in a LOT more time on learning NEW material.

Sorry, but 10 minutes isn’t even scratching the surface.

]]> By: Kirk Whipple & Marilyn Morales http://blog.discmakers.com/2010/03/10-minute-music-practice/comment-page-1/#comment-1877 Kirk Whipple & Marilyn Morales Sat, 20 Mar 2010 18:21:37 +0000 http://blog.discmakers.com/?p=4034#comment-1877 10 minutes of practice a day might be fine if you are not a serious musician - at any age. A 10-minute daily session might work in the short term for those who have invested years of training and have practiced hours a day during their formative years - AND ONLY as a stopgap measure during busy performance or project cycles. However, as a rule, if you are only practicing 10 minutes a day, you are kidding yourself about making any real gains in your skills, and/or you need to decisively raise the bar on your goals. The danger in this "10-minute abs" style philosophy is that it gives those with less experience, imagination and/or resources an excuse to be lazy about their practice plan. It might sell books, but this egregious approach would better be titled "Music For Dummies." Get real serious musicians! If you want to insure your long-term development and growth as an artist, the first ten minutes should be considered a fine warm-up for the real work of your practice session. If you can't devote more than ten minutes on the average every day to improve your art, the world would be better served if you flipped burgers faster at McDonald's. Don't buy ideas just because they are sold on the cheap and promise to give you more time to flip channels! Invest in yourself and the world culture! Dear readers, we invite you to visit our websites to confirm that we practice what we preach. Musically yours, Kirk Whipple & Marilyn Morales, Duo Pianists & Composers www.facebook.com/whipplemorales Directors, The Unconservatory www.unconservatory.org Directors, Cranberry Coast Concerts www.CranberryCoastConcerts.com The United Nations Piano Quartet www.myspace.com/unpq The Unconservatory Festival Orchestra www.myspace.com/uforiginal 10 minutes of practice a day might be fine if you are not a serious musician – at any age. A 10-minute daily session might work in the short term for those who have invested years of training and have practiced hours a day during their formative years – AND ONLY as a stopgap measure during busy performance or project cycles. However, as a rule, if you are only practicing 10 minutes a day, you are kidding yourself about making any real gains in your skills, and/or you need to decisively raise the bar on your goals.

The danger in this “10-minute abs” style philosophy is that it gives those with less experience, imagination and/or resources an excuse to be lazy about their practice plan. It might sell books, but this egregious approach would better be titled “Music For Dummies.”

Get real serious musicians! If you want to insure your long-term development and growth as an artist, the first ten minutes should be considered a fine warm-up for the real work of your practice session. If you can’t devote more than ten minutes on the average every day to improve your art, the world would be better served if you flipped burgers faster at McDonald’s.

Don’t buy ideas just because they are sold on the cheap and promise to give you more time to flip channels! Invest in yourself and the world culture!

Dear readers, we invite you to visit our websites to confirm that we practice what we preach.

Musically yours,

Kirk Whipple & Marilyn Morales, Duo Pianists & Composers
http://www.facebook.com/whipplemorales

Directors, The Unconservatory
http://www.unconservatory.org

Directors, Cranberry Coast Concerts
http://www.CranberryCoastConcerts.com

The United Nations Piano Quartet
http://www.myspace.com/unpq

The Unconservatory Festival Orchestra
http://www.myspace.com/uforiginal

]]> By: del casher http://blog.discmakers.com/2010/03/10-minute-music-practice/comment-page-1/#comment-1853 del casher Thu, 18 Mar 2010 18:48:03 +0000 http://blog.discmakers.com/?p=4034#comment-1853 I toitally agree with this 10 Minute practice is what I have always taught for the beginning student. I see so many who think they are practicing but are only practicing their mistakes and never get any better. And yes performaing is a physical as well as mental excercise. Once the student understands the discipline of practice then they can review things they learned in the past and enjoy their efforts. When conducting recording sessions, the finest musicians need to be guided to the difficult passages first carefully and slowly. Then everything else is easy and I can record very quickly and get through the session with no mistakes. Great article! Del Casher I toitally agree with this 10 Minute practice is what I have always taught for the beginning student.
I see so many who think they are practicing but are only practicing their mistakes and never get any better.

And yes performaing is a physical as well as mental excercise. Once the student understands the discipline of practice then they can review things they learned in the past and enjoy their efforts.

When conducting recording sessions, the finest musicians need to be guided to the difficult passages first carefully and slowly. Then everything else is easy and I can record very quickly and get through the session with no mistakes.

Great article!
Del Casher

]]> By: JBall http://blog.discmakers.com/2010/03/10-minute-music-practice/comment-page-1/#comment-1849 JBall Thu, 18 Mar 2010 16:32:59 +0000 http://blog.discmakers.com/?p=4034#comment-1849 I strongly disagree with Ms. Garnett. Focus is crucial, but there is too much to cover in 10 minutes. Always practise the full song, even the full set if possible. This allows the basics of your performance (ie playing the right notes with steady and natural tempo) to become more-or-less automatic, so you can let your mind become filled with higher level nuances, like dynamics and expression. If you are a singer, you need to free your consciousness of the mechanics of musicianship so your singing can embody the meaning of the lyrics. The only way to do this is to delegate some "consciousness" to your fingers — I guess you call this "muscle memory." BTW Good music is nothing like a treadmill. I strongly disagree with Ms. Garnett. Focus is crucial, but there is too much to cover in 10 minutes. Always practise the full song, even the full set if possible. This allows the basics of your performance (ie playing the right notes with steady and natural tempo) to become more-or-less automatic, so you can let your mind become filled with higher level nuances, like dynamics and expression. If you are a singer, you need to free your consciousness of the mechanics of musicianship so your singing can embody the meaning of the lyrics. The only way to do this is to delegate some “consciousness” to your fingers — I guess you call this “muscle memory.”

BTW Good music is nothing like a treadmill.

]]> By: Practice 10 minutes « Songwriter’s Tip Jar http://blog.discmakers.com/2010/03/10-minute-music-practice/comment-page-1/#comment-1848 Practice 10 minutes « Songwriter’s Tip Jar Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:58:36 +0000 http://blog.discmakers.com/?p=4034#comment-1848 [...] 10 minutes By songwriterstipjar I saw a blog post about how it can be better to practice for 10 minutes a day than an hour a day. [...] [...] 10 minutes By songwriterstipjar I saw a blog post about how it can be better to practice for 10 minutes a day than an hour a day. [...]

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