How to Get the Most Out of Your Violin Practice
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Limited on time and you want to get the most out of your violin practice sessions?
As a passionate violinist, you may have gobs of music you want to get through but you don’t have all the time in the world to practice. You want to practice effectively and know that you are improving with every second you play the violin.
In order to get the most out of your violin practice, you will need:
- Your Calendar
- Notebook (be it old-fashioned or computer)
- Timer
- Current projects (books, pieces, scales, etudes)
- Recorder and Metronome
- Pencil
- Violin of course:)
Step 1: Allotted Violin Practice Time Declaration
TIME Amount
First, have an idea of how much you CAN practice a day be it thirty minutes or six hours. Be REALISTIC! You may WANT to practice 6 hours a day but CAN only practice 40 minutes. Don’t set yourself up for failure at the very start of scheduling an IMPOSSIBILITY!
STEP 2: Schedule Violin Practice in Your Calendar
SCHEDULE
- PRACTICE at your PEAK Times
- BLOCK IT OUT!!
- You are UNAVAILABLE when you practice. Mark Busy in your calendars. TURN OFF YOUR PHONE. Better yet maybe don’t even have a phone in your practice room.
- Take Breaks
- Have HEALTHY snacks
STEP 3: Creating a Practice Road Map Strategy
Create and Use Your Personal Practice Road Map
- Count your Etudes and pieces.
- Write how many minutes you will be spending on each one – don’t go over your alotted Time Amount.
- For thirty minute beginner practice say you have three books: Suzuki, Introduction to the Positions and Wohlfahrt, you would divide your time, thirty minutes by three and that would be ten minutes on each book. If you need to spend more time on your piece say fifteen minutes on Suzuki than you have seven and a half minutes on the other books.
- Now to create a practice road map for six hours you may think that is a lot of time but if you are working on enough to fill the six hours and you organize your road map you may find it is not enough time. If this is the case, create a practice road map for Monday, Wednesday and Friday and a different road map for Tuesday and Thursday to alternate some of the material.
Timer
- The timer is your friend and time manager.
- USE it!
If you’re wanting a healthy violin technique practice strategy, you’ll love my calendar that I put together for 365 daily violin practice routines. I know and it does include different violin techniques in there with shifting, with position work, with scales. If you’re wanting a no think practice strategy and love following lists of what to do, you’ll love my practice calendar. I will leave a link here for you to immediately download it and start using it in your practice sessions.
STEP 4: Creating and Using a Violin Practice Journal
Create and Use a Practice Journal
- Notes of your practice session – what was great and what wasn’t.
- Adjust times or content of the next practice session if needed.
STEP 5: Staying Organized
Stay Organized
- Always keep your practice journal nearby when you practice.
- Have all your pieces AND Etudes measures numbered BEFORE practicing.
- When you encounter a specific problem during your practice session record in your practice journal the specific measure number and issue to be fixed.
REMEMBER Isolation is the key. Drill small bits and then connect the bits.
Use a Recorder for the fastest progress on the bits – Record, listen, fix and repeat – EASY!!
Please share in the comments which above tips you will be implementing into your daily practices sessions.
Happy Magical Practices,
Heather is a classically trained concert violinist performing with the Yambol Chamber Orchestra, Bulgaria. She received her BM violin performance degree from CU-Boulder, studied with top teachers including Rachel Barton Pine. Heather has held leadership positions with multiple orchestras in the Greater Chicago-Milwaukee area. She has instructed millions of violinists globally via Youtube videos, online academies, group coaching and one on one sessions. Heather’s students have won multiple awards, concerto competitions, held concertmaster positions in orchestras and even performed in Carnegie Hall. Heather is an advocate of a holistic violin lifestyle – putting one’s mind, body and spirit as a violin journey priority.
Heather Kaye
Violinist
Thanks so much for this blog post its been so heplful. I used to spend all my practice time playing the same melodies over and over again and in the end it didn’t feel right. Now I practice scales, and other exercises and at the end my pieces, I use the timer, recorder and everything you’ve listed here and its been great.
Andrea,
You are so welcome and thank you so much for leaving a comment. So excited you have found some satisfaction and direction in your practice sessions.
Wishing you even more happy magical practices,
Heather
Thank you so much. This is very helpful. I was wondering how to practice for results.