10 Tips to Improve Your Music Practice | 10 Tips

Everyone has a musician in their group. The music scene has drastically changed over the past few years. More and more people

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It is not hard to find a musician within our social circle. There will be the loud rockers, the chill country folks, the jazz nerds, the bluesmen, the aspiring pop stars creating the next big hit or the classical guys dedicated to Bach, Beethoven or Mozart. People also simply play it as a mode of recreation and hobby. Now the question that comes in every mind of a musician: How to become a better performer(on-stage or the recording studio)?

LISTEN

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There is nothing more essential than listening. After all, it’s your ears that attracted you towards music. Constant listening enables you to listen to the finer details of the song. The more you listen, the more effective your practice becomes. The listening aspect is essential for both vocals and musical instruments. It is also essential for broadening your musical horizon.

PRACTICE

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The most common answer would be perhaps- Practice, Practice, and Practice. But practicing without a proper framework or vision leads to boring practice sessions. Nothing is worse for a musician than assuming the daily practice regimen being assumed as plain chore. The following question then would be:  How to practice effectively?

MOVE WITH A PLAN

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Forming a plan in your head is essential for steady growth as a musician. An object of passion requires constant attention. The more you practice- the better you become. Highly complex musical pieces require Technical Skills in Music at a high level of precision and accuracy. In the modern competitive world of the 21st century, it is almost impossible to dedicate the entire time of your day to practice. It may also hamper your musical progress rate as you burn yourself out quickly. 

ACT ON THEM

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GOALS: Setting yourself specific targets or goals(both in the long-term and the short-term)  is essential to evaluate yourself- and stay organized. An Organized Approach is a Better Approach.

1.  LESS IS MORE: Trying out small parts instead of going through the entire song- intended for cover/ transcription is better, according to professional Musician Tips. Try perfecting out the minor details. It is not advisable to try to go out for the full run-through of the song without learning the individual parts first.
2. CONCENTRATE: It is quite easy to get complacent or frustrated, especially when picking up complex rhythmical patterns. It takes a long commitment to Develop Musical Skills. So Patience and Concentration are the two pillars of effective practice.  
3. RECORD AND DON’T FORGET PLAYBACK: One of the best ways of self-evaluation is to record yourself and listening to the playback. Be hard on yourself. Try to critique as much as possible. You can use cheap sound-recorder or modern smartphones. A semi-professional digital audio interface is now affordable to the common mass. 
4. IMPROVISE: When the time comes- don’t be afraid to improvise. Move out of your comfort zone. An artist lives for expression. As long as you know the key you are in- you are all set. Try to implement the things you learned in practice- your scale runs, rhythmic variations. Find your voice. Divide the beat and count subdivisions such as 4th Notes, 8Th Notes, 16Th notes, etc. Don’t be afraid to make a mistake. Say to yourself- Don’t Stop.

HAVE FUN

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Music is not rocket science. It is simply an aural expression of our emotions. There exists an unknown joy in rehearsing with other musicians – i.e. the Band. Don’t be afraid to play other instruments. It helps in improving rhythm. It is especially recommended for the vocalists- to learn another instrument. The fun is good in keeping the flame of learning- burn brighter. 

KNOW YOUR GEAR

It is essential to know your instrument and also having the knowledge to extract the tone required for the specific piece/song. Pamper yourself– but not before you know the full potential of the instrument/ gadget you possess. A good musician knows every minute aspect detail- of the song as well as his/her instrument- the intonation, action, touch, tuning, etc.

IMAGINE SUCCESS/PERFECTION

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A performing musician needs to be perfect and on-point at the stage. A studio session requires precision to the metronome. In both cases, you need to have a high level of self-confidence. Look in front of the mirror while playing– Practice your rock moves which you mean to perform on the stage. Rehearse as if you are on the stage. 

SEARCH RESOURCES FOR IMPROVEMENT

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Finding a teacher is one of the easiest ways to improve yourself. However, a musician is often strapped of cash. Ask fellow musicians for tips and suggestions. In the modern internet age, one can easily find thousands of online videos on YouTube. Tablatures or sheet music are easily available in UltimateGuitar, 8tabs or Songsterr. There are even guitar gears/ rigs of famous musicians available online.

WATCH BETTER MUSICIANS PLAY

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One of the most important parts of making yourself a better musician is by watching other musicians who are better than you play. It opens up a lot of different avenues. For example, you know a certain way to implement a scale you learned. However, another musician may think in some other way. Watching him implement the same scale in his way can give you an idea about the endless possibility of music.
Find out the top musicians of all time, in all genres in this list.

SURROUND YOURSELF WITH WISE ADVISORS

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An aspiring musician, however good, is not the perfect person to follow for advice. The vision or genre of the person might be different from what you envisioned. Follow persons whose advice is deemed worthy to you. A person with vast knowledge and experience to share is always a valuable person to hear out. 

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