6 Ways to Make Practice More Fun
Playing a musical instrument is a source of immense joy for many musicians. However, ::the act of practicing can sometimes feel like a tedious chore::.
In this article, we will explore six effective strategies to make your practice sessions not only more enjoyable, but also more efficient.
By implementing these techniques, you can unlock the true potential of your practice time and experience the delight of progress in your musical journey.
- Decide ahead of time what to work on
- This removes the mental burden of figuring out what to work on when you sit down to practice
- Figure out some goals to accomplish – play this section of this piece, improve speed or coordination with this technique, etc.
- This removes the mental burden of figuring out what to work on when you sit down to practice
- Gather your materials
- This saves you from having to break focus to find the right page in the right book or the right article on the right website.
- If you’re working on pieces from 3 different books and a youtube video, take pictures of the pages you’re working on and have them all on your iPad. No more rummaging around trying to find what you need
- This saves you from having to break focus to find the right page in the right book or the right article on the right website.
- Set Goals
- This will your practice a purpose so you feel like you’re moving towards something instead of aimlessly working on random things
- Decide how long you want to work on each thing (e.g. a time per session, and a total time before you move on to something else). Decide which days to work on different things.
- This will your practice a purpose so you feel like you’re moving towards something instead of aimlessly working on random things
- Make your practice musical
- This will make it feel more enjoyable.
- If you have to practice with a metronome to improve your timing or gauge your progress, why not practice to a drum groove (or if you’re a drummer, to a musical vamp). It’ll make things seem less clinical and more musical
- This will make it feel more enjoyable.
- Track your progress
- It’s inspiring to see how many hours you’ve logged or how many goals you’ve completed. It can also give you insights into how long it takes you to accomplish different challenges.
- Write down how long you spend on each task, and at what tempos. Make written notes about how you’re feeling and what challenges you’re struggling with, or when you feel like you’ve made breakthroughs.
- It’s inspiring to see how many hours you’ve logged or how many goals you’ve completed. It can also give you insights into how long it takes you to accomplish different challenges.
- Compete against yourself
- This can give you something to aim for.
- Instead of practicing for 4 hours because someone else you know practices for 4 hours, just aim to practice more than you did last time. Aim to keep a streak going by practicing every day. etc.
- This can give you something to aim for.
Tools you’ll need
Method 1:
- A note book and pen (or iPad/computer) to decide on your goals, write down your progress, make notes about what you’re struggling with, etc
- A timer to time your practice sessions and time spent on individual exercises
- A metronome to make sure you’re practicing in time and to help you gauge your progress with speed based exercises
- A drum machine or sequencer to make your practice more musical
- Some software (e.g. Excel) to allow you to enter your progress notes and view charts and statistics (if you really want to see your hard work)
Method 2:
- PolyNome
Introducing PolyNome
- PolyNome is designed by a musician, for musicians, to take care of all the admin and to allow you to focus on playing and enjoying your practice sessions.
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It handles everything mentioned in this article:
- Presets and Playlists allow you to create clicks/grooves/vamps with automated timers and tempo changes
- Rich Attachments allow you to photos/PDFs/websites/videos to your presets so you don’t need to go routing through books and links
- The Goals Dashboard allows you to plan which Presets and Playlists you’ll work on, when you’ll work on them, for how long.
- Smart Reminders will notify you on practice days and you can tap to jump straight to the Goals Dashboard to see what you’re working on today
- The Practice Log tracks everything you work on: times, tempos, preset names, and any notes you add about how you’re feeling. You can view statistics of how you’re progressing towards your goals, or how your practice compares to previous sessions. You can view charts of practice time and tempos. You can view reports that summarise any notes you’ve taken and give you insights into how long it takes you to overcome obstacles.
- The Daily Journal allows you to add more general notes about what you’ve been working on, or enter notes for future dates to remind you of things you want to work on.
- The Audio File feature allows you to add section and bar markers to audio files. You can loop or slow down sections of your music, add notes about what to play in different bars and generate a summary (for example, if you need a quick way to chart a song)
- With Preset Sharing, teachers can create practice routines for their students and AirDrop or share them via a quick web link. Students will be able to make notes about what they’re struggling with while they practice and retrieve them in the next lesson.
PolyNome can not only make your practice sessions more enjoyable, but also more efficient. From deciding ahead of time what to work on, to setting goals and making your practice sessions musical, these techniques will help unlock the joy of practicing. Additionally, tracking your progress and competing against yourself can provide a sense of satisfaction and motivation. Whether you choose to use traditional tools like notebooks and metronomes or opt for a comprehensive app like PolyNome, the key is to find what works best for you and make your practice sessions a source of delight and progress in your musical journey.
