One of the most common phrases I hear in the practice world, whether it be in music or sports or whatever, is the phrase "practice makes perfect". Being completely honest, I have to disagree with this statement. When I was taking piano lessons in junior high, my piano teacher said to me, "Practice makes permanent". That phrase has revolutionized how I approach my practice time.
Here's why. The way you practice is the way you are going to play/perform. If I continue practicing a piece incorrectly, I'm going to perform it just how I practiced it - incorrectly. So, how do I overcome this?
1. Slow It Down! This is a very hard concept for me. When I start a new piece of music I instantly want to play it up to tempo. But, in order to learn the piece correctly that means you may need to slow it down first and then increase your tempo gradually.
2. Break It Down! If I notice I keep making the same mistake over and over, I identify the problem and break it down into smaller sections until I have the passage down correctly. Then I put it all together again up to tempo.
3. Chill Out! For me, when I make a mistake I start getting in my head and then it's all downhill from there. Then one day I finally realized that this was not helping me at all. Instead, it hindered me and I continued to make the same mistake and even more mistakes. By admitting it's ok to make mistakes, letting it go, and staying out of my head I'm able to make corrections and make the right habit permanent.
In conclusion, remember "Practice makes permanent". How you practice is how you will perform. Take these steps or steps that work for you to make the most of your practice time and instill permanent habits.
Here's why. The way you practice is the way you are going to play/perform. If I continue practicing a piece incorrectly, I'm going to perform it just how I practiced it - incorrectly. So, how do I overcome this?
1. Slow It Down! This is a very hard concept for me. When I start a new piece of music I instantly want to play it up to tempo. But, in order to learn the piece correctly that means you may need to slow it down first and then increase your tempo gradually.
2. Break It Down! If I notice I keep making the same mistake over and over, I identify the problem and break it down into smaller sections until I have the passage down correctly. Then I put it all together again up to tempo.
3. Chill Out! For me, when I make a mistake I start getting in my head and then it's all downhill from there. Then one day I finally realized that this was not helping me at all. Instead, it hindered me and I continued to make the same mistake and even more mistakes. By admitting it's ok to make mistakes, letting it go, and staying out of my head I'm able to make corrections and make the right habit permanent.
In conclusion, remember "Practice makes permanent". How you practice is how you will perform. Take these steps or steps that work for you to make the most of your practice time and instill permanent habits.
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