| Good ways to practice a piece sent to me by Dr. Neubert
Here's how to practice a piece:
1) look the piece over, count out any difficult rhythms first - listen to the piece if possible or at least a piece in the same style or by the same composer. COUNT thru the entire piece - learn the RHYTHM first.
2) look at the KEY and start practicing scales (at least 2 octave) in that key. Use various fingerings for the scale (try going up a different string on shifts). Start with whole notes, then slurred half notes, then slurred quarter notes and continue until you repeat the entire scale in slurred eighth notes. Then practice alternating thirds in this key, followed by 3 note arpeggios ( 1-3-5, 3-5-1, 5-1-3, etc.)
3) look at the NOTES of the piece, mark every shift you need to make, use the "Two-Note" rule for shifting (always pair your notes, avoid shifting for just one note unless it is an odd note grouping).
4) look at your BOWING, make sure your pickup notes start on an up bow and phrases (and strong beats) start on a down bow. Use hooks or bow lifts to correct any problems. Look at any marked dynamics, this will help you determine the correct bowing.
5) now that you have STUDIED your part and marked it accordingly, start to play through it SLOWLY without stopping. I always look thru the hardest parts first so that when I go to play thru the piece, I don't have to stop and figure it out again. Keep an eye on your dynamics while you are reading thru the piece. Correct any fingerings or bowings that need adjusting AFTER you have read thru the piece (avoid stopping and starting - bad habit).
6) get out your metronome and gradually increase the tempo during each read through. You may have to adjust the fingering (shifts) or bowing as the speed increases, depending on what tempo you need to get to. Take a break every 50 minutes, its better to start fresh several times than to wear yourself out trying to figure it all out at once (especially if you have a poor fingering or bowing that you try to beat into submission - waste of time).
The best teacher is YOURSELF - try using this disciplined approach to learning a piece and remember, there are MANY ways to play a piece correctly - the best way is the one that SOUNDS the best for YOU.
Dr. Neubert
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