Creating a Dedicated Area for Practicing & Studying

 Hi everyone,

In this I'm going to talk about developing and creating a space that you can use solely for your music practice and studying.

My own personal practice space

This is still quite a new thing for me to have, as I used to practice in a different room in the house and my sheet music was also spread throughout the house due to having so much of it.

The shelves that hold my sheet music have been organised in a certain way, so that I know where all of my sheet music is as each shelf is dedicated to a certain area. There's also an area on the shelves that holds of my music/ cleaning accessories, so that it is in within reach. 

My music stand is also placed in front of the shelves when not in use.

I also have a desk with an all in one printer and scanner, as I haven't long since downloaded an app where I can turn any of my sheet music into digital format so that's easier to import into the app.

Find a Space that is Ideal for Your Practice

This can be using a spare room, making a space within your bedroom, living room or any space that you would feel comfortable in practicing in.

Make Your Practice Space Comfortable

Once you have chosen your practice space then adapt that space to make it really comfortable and inspiring for your musical learning. This could be done by choosing a relaxing colour scheme, adding a few cushions, quotes, ornaments and pictures on the wall. Make it so then you will get the most benefit from your music practice sessions.

Sheet Music Organisation

If you have room then have an area for all of your sheet music, and then organise it so then you know where everything is. This can also work if you're learning multiple instruments, as you can have a shelf dedicated to sheet music for each instrument. If you have the room on your sheet music shelves you can always add small ornaments and bits to add a bit of decoration.

Create an Atmosphere

You can do this by using a tea light wax melter, candles, and oil diffusers. I sometimes have my wax melter burning, as I find it helps to relax me and helps me to focus more. This idea isn't for everyone, as I know not everyone can have fragrances scenting their rooms, due to being sensitive to fragrance.

Since having my own dedicated space to practice and to study I'm finding that I can now focus better, and I love that I can create a relaxing atmosphere by burning a candle or my tea light wax melter. I've also got a small desk with an all in one printer and scanner to enable me to create digital documents. Also, by having my own practice space I'm not disturbed as much.

If you have got the space to create your own practice space then do it, as I've noticed a lot of positive changes in the way that I practice. You can create your practice space to get the most out of your practice needs. Everyone learns differently, so it's important that you tailor your practice/ study space so then you can get the best out of your learning.

Dealing with a Tricky Piece/ Passage

 Hi everyone,

In this post I'm going to be talking about how to deal with a tricky piece/ passage.

There's loads of different reasons that musicians and people who are learning a musical instrument struggle with difficult pieces/ passages. It could be that you are just starting out on your journey into learning a musical instrument, or that you have been a hard piece to learn with lots of tricky spots and you are little unsure on how tackle them.

I'm going to give you a few tips that I have picked up throughout my own musical journey.

Identify the Tricky Areas before you Start to Practice

What I mean by this is going through the piece and using brackets to identify all of the tricky spots using a pencil. Also, you can also go through and identify any tricky fingers placements or any other areas that my give you a bit of trouble. 

Break the Passage Up

Once you have figured out all of your tricky spots then choose one to focus on. It could be just a bar or it could go over multiple bars depending how long the passage is that you have identified as being tricky. If it's just a bar or two focus on that, and take your time with it. Practice it slowly using just legato, and see how you get on. Once it becomes a little easier you can then start to add in the articulation and any directions. If the passage is over multiple bars you might find it more manageable to divide the passage up into smaller chunks to make it easier to go in. Just work through the bars slowly using legato, and then slowly start adding a bar at a time. If it's still proving difficult to figure you might to go back and re-identify the really tricky spots that you may not have noticed the first time around.

Slow Legato Practice

When working through either a tricky piece/ passage it's important to not only break the piece/ passage up into more manageable chunks, but to also practice the piece/ passage slowly and using only legato. This will help you get used to what you're hearing, and you can also figure out what your fingers are doing. Also, by practicing slowly you can pick up anything mistakes early on.

Take Your Time

It's important that you take your working through any tricky passages/ pieces, as you will then spot any areas that will need improving further down the line. You can also slowly figure out any articulation and directions once you feel comfortable that you have got the tricky piece/ passage in a place where you are happy.