By: Charles Decker
-- This may is from the International Trumpet Guild's quarterly publication, but so much of it has to do with bass I feel a need to post it. It's long, but a great, and informative read.
1)
Everyone tells me I have musical talent, so I don't have to practice Reality: Depends on your objectives
The question is, "To what level you want to develop your gift?" while you have musical aptitude for pitch recognition, rhythmic stability and a seemingly natural sound on your instrument, it only means that progress for you MAY come faster than for others less "gifted." Developing sound consistency and sensitive musical interpretations will only mature with your willingness to develop this innate musical ability; in a word -- practice. The musicians you admire have invested significant time and effort developing their talent.
2)
Buying a profession model instrument or different gear will dramatically improve my performance capabilities without the need for more practice Reality: Partially True
Equipment can make a difference. However, most musicians feel performance success is based largely on individual effort and to a much lesser extent on owning good gear. Profession models are superior in construction and design to student-line instruments; however the price difference can be huge. Regardless of equipment, you must dedicate yourself to practicing and properly maintain your gear.
3)
My teacher says to practice an hour daily. Since I am in a band each day for an hour, isn't this practice? Reality: NO!
Ensemble participation and rehearsals are essential to developing our musical capabilities, but they are not the same as personal practice. Personal practice refines our essential performance skills and allows us to explore solo repertoire. Ensemble rehearsals are for working with other musicians on intonation matching, balance sensitivity, rhytmic interactions and exploring a limited amount of music. Relative to developing endurance, an hour of ensemble rehearsal is equivalent to half that time (or less) of personal practice.
4)
Since I am paying my private instructor for lessons, he should provide me free music and recordings Reality: You are expecting too much
Private instructors usually provide students some music (typically warm ups), but to expect a constant gift of free music, illegal photocopies or recordings in unrealistic. Your instructor invested money to accumulate materials in their quest to learn the music; now it is your turn to invest in your musical future by purchasing publish copies. When we take an automobile in for repairs we pay for both the mechanic's knowledge (well, or lack of sometimes) and parts. We don't get free parts.
5)
Practicing should be fun Reality: Depends on your definition of "fun"
Some may consider practicing fun but for most the intensive work to overcome physical and musical challenges produces more a sense of person satisfaction and achievement. If you consider these experiences gratifying, then daily practice can truly be "fun"
6)
The more hours I practice, the better musician I will become Reality: Not necessarily
Consistent progress is not based solely on total hours of practice. You should develop a weekly plan that accumulates as much time as you are willing to spend spread out as evenly as possible on a daily basis. Once this is in place, how efficiently you practice becomes the determining factor in how much can be accomplished in a session. Thoughtful, accurate and consistent practice is more important tan amassing hours of mediocre work. Never start a session before deciding what you want to accomplish.
7)
To build endurance, I should practice to the point of pain Reality: Wrong
"No pain, no gain," right? Wrong! Practicing to the point of pain will not build endurance but most likely diminish it. Musicians with extended endurance capabilities have developed not only superior dexterity and music endurance but also sensible approaches to improve the physical ability and mental concentration to play longer periods. Finding a proper balance between playing and resting in a practice session, knowing where to exert less physical effort while still meeting the demands of the music, and incorporating sensible approaches to increase endurance are all essential to consistent progress.
8)
To master a challenging passage, I only have to be willing to practice it many times. Reality: Partially true
Willingness to repeat a difficult passage in order to master it does not by itself guarantee conquering the problem. Rather, how accurately and how many different ways you practice it ensures true performance consistency and confidence. Can you analyze the note pattern, sing the passage accurately on pitch using rhythmic syllables, play it at different tempos, incorporate using different rhythms, transpose it, etc..? Practicing a passage fifteen times with ten inaccurate results only reinforces inconsistency. efficient practice where you methodically and accurately practice difficult passages a variety of ways moves you forward to true accuracy.
9)
If I am comfortable playing my solo in the practice room, then I will be comfortable in its performance. Reality: Maybe, maybe not.
Regardless of how comfortable you are in the practice room, it is important to create solo opportunities prior to the actual performance. You can ask others to listen to your solo, record the entire solo without stopping, perform the solo as a church service prelude or postlude if it appropriate in that setting, etc. proper preparation and numerous practice performances will reduce stressful anxiety and contribute to a more confident solo appearance.
10)
My practice warmup should be exactly the same every time Reality: You are pointing in the right direction, but...
While warmup contributes greatly to performance consistency, rote repetition of exactly the same material for a fixed time period is unrealistically inflexible. Most advanced performers are flexible in their choice of specific warmups but typically review exercise for stretching, tone production and technical studies. Avoid fixing the length of warmups to specific period of time. Instead, evaluate when to move on to other material by how you feel and are responding and how much time you have to practice for a particular session.
Hope this is a help for someone.
and then third is bass guitar, and let me tell you, trumpet players don't take crap from anyone, especially bass players!
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