Defining Musical Practice

Defining musical practice is something you do on a personal level.  Your definition is something you will continue to develop your entire life. One of my favourite surprises to impart to intermediate students is a different way of viewing practice. The purpose of practice is not to enjoy playing something you have already mastered. But practice needs to develop an area you still struggle with. Thus, as a human being, there will always be a reason for you to practice.

When Practice Becomes A Performance

Too many times students believe that they struggle to find enough time to practice. When in reality they spend all their practice time procrastinating by performing already mastered material for an audience that consists only of themselves. I believe that every practice session should start and conclude with something that brings the musician joy. However, this cannot be 'practise' in its entirety for no or very little progress will be made. Performing for yourself satisfies our 21st-century craving for instant gratification. But it leads only to frustration when the achievement of goals is hindered.

Practice is a Skill

Practising in and of itself needs skilful consideration and intrinsic meaning. For example, I personally find that getting up early and practising before work is one of the best ways I can start my day. For me, the very act of practising is refreshing and invigorating. It causes me to leave for work feeling happy and accomplished before the day has even begun. It means that on even the worst of days I have still experienced some form of contentment.

But you need to be careful of the temptation to practice superficially. When defining musical practice you need to know what it is not, in order to appreciate what it is. It will result in dreary hard work making you a slave to the routine instead of an artist of sound. When practice becomes like a chore that you feel like you have to do, it is one of the key indicators that you need to change your approach.

Defining Musical Practice

Practice should be a sacred and honoured ritual of the musician. Starting may take self-discipline but it should then ascend into a cascade of personal fulfilment offering the treasures of both enjoyment and accomplishment. And as Yehudi Menuhin wrote, “practice is not forced labour; it is a refined art that partakes of intuition, of inspiration, patience, elegance, clarity, balance, and above all, the search for ever greater joy in movement and expression.

At its most rudimentary level, the purpose of practice is to become a better artist. The stepping stones all musicians must cross on this path contain both technical exercises and repertoire. A gap in either may hinder your progress and overall musical ability.

There are three potential reasons one might engage in the practice of a musical instrument. Firstly, you may be playing for others which ultimately culminates in a performance for either your parents, an examiner, teacher or audience. You have to meet these people’s expectations and thus your practice to avoid the displeasure of letting someone down. Secondly, you may practice in order to produce a concrete product like a cd or digital download. But Finally, and most importantly you practise because you are doing it primarily for yourself because if you find no reason in your work then it is not worth doing.

If luck is what happens when opportunity meets preparation then practice is one of the few elements of luck you can control making a sustainable practice routine the magical key towards endless artistic growth.

In summary “Practice is the deliberate, creative process of improving musical ability and of mastering music for performance.” Gerald Klickstein