Violin practice method
一小段小段練習 再集合成一大段練習~~
節拍器的使用 每天耐心的練習 專心的練....
Jennifer Bogart
received her Masters, Bachelors and Performers Certificate from Eastman School
of Music
1. Practice in
small pieces:
I repeatedly
tell my students, "Practice in small pieces!" I think this is a good
reminder for the advanced students and a necessary learning block for the
beginners. It is very fun to start at the beginning of the song and play to the
end, and this is of course the end goal. But there are always those few
sections that students fumble over every time the piece gets played.
I try to teach
my students to play only one measure at a time, repeating it over and over
until it is clear. Then they can extend to one phrase at a time, etc. Pieces
such as Etude in the Suzuki Book I, lend themselves well to this technique. I
have students play any difficult group of four 8th notes separately over and
over before putting them all together into a complete piece.
2. Practice the
parts that need the most work first:
I remember
struggling on the Bach Double concerto as a young person trying to learn it for
the first time. Of course I had heard many play it and knew exactly how it
should sound and how fast it should be played. I tried the usual method of
playing one hard passage over and over. It didn't get better. So I started
cutting out the parts I could play. I was left with a very small group of 16th
notes that were the most difficult. I played them slowly, forwards, backwards,
and with different fingerings and rhythms. Before I knew it I had fixed the
passage, not by playing it over and over, but by focusing on the part that was
truly difficult.
3. Change all
but the order of the notes:
This is a fun
practice technique, and works best for 16th note passages that are difficult.
Pick a small section of a couple of measures and take out all the slurs. Now
slow it down and change the rhythm. Here is an example from Handel's Messiah,
first violin part, No. 53, Worthy is the Lamb. This is the original measure
before adding this technique:
Here is the passage using the same notes, but a different rhythm. In this passage, play the 16th note as fast as you can, and take your time on the dotted 8th notes.
When you can play that much consistently, reverse the rhythm this way:Then vary the rhythm any way you wish. You can also add accents or different bowings to spice it up. By they time you've completed these methods and go back to playing it "straight" you will be amazed at how it easy is.
Here is the passage using the same notes, but a different rhythm. In this passage, play the 16th note as fast as you can, and take your time on the dotted 8th notes.
When you can play that much consistently, reverse the rhythm this way:Then vary the rhythm any way you wish. You can also add accents or different bowings to spice it up. By they time you've completed these methods and go back to playing it "straight" you will be amazed at how it easy is.
4. Use a
metronome:
A metronome is
very helpful for getting something up to tempo and for finding exactly where
those hard spots are. Choose a small section of your piece that needs work,
maybe a line or a phrase. Set the metronome to the speed where you can
comfortably do the whole section without mistakes right now. This is probably a
very slow speed, and sometimes I will set the metronome to beat 8th notes instead
of quarter notes if I am going at a slow tempo. Play the section a couple of
times at this speed (if you can't play it perfectly, set the tempo slower).
When you can play it perfect, up the speed by a couple of notches. Play again
and again until perfect, the up the speed again. It will quickly get better.
You will find, however, that the next day you may have to start all over again.
We tend to expect that if we have worked the tempo up to 112 on the metronome,
that we should be able to start there tomorrow, but it doesn't work that way.
You will have to start slower again the next day, but it will get better
faster. And after several days you will see definite progress.
5. Practice
daily:
How is this a
practice technique? Here I would like to mention the difference between
practicing daily and practicing in one big marathon session right before the
lesson or performance. I have tried both methods and you probably have too.
There is no comparison. The marathon session just doesn't work. Daily practice
sessions have lasting benefits, while the marathon session has short term
benefits (and the benefits will likely be gone before the lesson the next
day!). So even on very busy days, if you can do a short and focused practice
session, it will benefit you more than trying to catch up at the end of the
week.
6. Other
suggestions:
Memorize your
piece. Memorizing has many benefits, and I recommend it highly. For our
purposes here, I find that my brain sometimes can't read the notes fast enough.
If I memorize then I'm only limited by how fast my fingers can go (which is a
big enough limitation!).
Play with
others: Sometimes this can be helpful to get the extra push you need to get
something up to tempo or make sure you've go all the accidentals.
Practice with
your brain in gear! Comment from another teacher: I would rather have my student
practice a concentrated 15 minutes a day than a blah 30 minutes just 'doing
time.'
Set reasonable
goals: What would you like to accomplish this practice session? What would you
like to accomplish before the next lesson? What would you like to have ready
for the next recital? What do you want to play by the time it's time for
college auditions?
Set a specific
time to practice, practice the same time every day.
Leave your
violin out. I've had several students and parents report that if the violin is left
out it gets played more often. Just make sure the violin is still safe -- watch
out for cats and small children, and make sure it is not in direct sun or
somewhere it could easily fall.
Have fun!
Sometimes we need to remember that playing the violin is FUN! So if it is
getting to be drudgery, take a day off from the hard work and play your
favorite pieces and remember why you love the violin.