How Pro Musicians Really Practice

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0:00 Cruise Ship Musician Fail
1:09 Performance Anxiety
2:14 The 3 AM Test
2:42 The Technique
3:32 Consistency Builds Confidence
5:03 No More Stage Fright

[@JeffSchneiderMusic]

One more bumper sticker for ya: "Amateurs practice until they get it right. Professional practice until they never get it wrong."

[@tobbebergman7583]

Or ! “An amateur practise until he can do a thing right, a professional until he can't do it wrong.”

[@Gerard_2024]

@@tobbebergman7583 The only differences I can see between what you wrote and the original comment is that you chose to word your comment in the singular, as opposed to using the plural, and substituted the verb "do" for "get". However, no difference in meaning has resulted from your rephrasing. All of which leads me to as you if there is any particular reason which motivated you to make your meaningless contribution, or do you simply like to practise meaningless rephrasing of other people's comments ?

[@anderssvensson3894]

@@Gerard_2024 Mr self righteous has spoken ! The world is full of stupid fucking assholes so I guess you're in good company !

[@anderssvensson3894]

@@Gerard_2024 Mr self-righteous has spoken!

[@Gerard_2024]

@@anderssvensson3894 Not really, I just don't understand people who simply repeat what somebody else has already said. It doesn't add anything extra.

[@batlin]

The bit about reducing the size of the section you're practicing is pretty important. You do not want to be practicing the same section for 20 minutes straight, because it'll start to feel easy during practice (since you're mostly repeating the same motions), then when you go to perform later it's suddenly hard again (because you get one shot and don't have it fresh in your muscle memory). Some of the recent research into "interleaved practice" would suggest switching to a different section (or piece, or scales) after maybe 3 minutes, then COME BACK after another 3 minutes so you're almost starting from a blank slate again, like what happens when you actually have to perform live. Other research into contextual interference suggests that you can benefit more by adding variations during practice than by trying to practice *exactly* the same way each time for similar reasons. So you might practice it a few times legato, then a few times with every note staccato, then accent every odd note, then accent every even note, etc etc. I tend to play it "straight", then do a variation, then straight again, before coming up with a different variation.

[@astro6393]

That's great but how is this different from multitasking between tasks which has shown to hurt performance and memory recall? I'm not saying you're wrong I just want to clarify so I can implement it properly.

[@batlin]

@@astro6393 it *does* hurt performance during practice, but leads to improved benefits *after* the practice, most importantly when you're actually performing! There's lots of papers on it, but there's a pretty good introductory article "Learning at the speed of childhood" by Christine Carter. There's also Dr. Molly Gebrian who has a KZbin channel with a ton of practical tips and explanation of the research. And going further afield, there's the Perception and Action Podcast which is really focused on sports, but I think a lot of the research discussed is applicable to music practice.

[@batlin]

@@astro6393 sorry about the delayed response. Multitasking is bad because you're trying to divide attention and working memory between multiple tasks at the same time. That cognitive load isn't helpful for either performance or learning, as you point out. But here I'm talking about focusing completely on each task while doing it, just switching tasks relatively frequently. Although there is a cognitive burden associated with the switch, it is actually relevant to the task rather than an artificial one imposed by multitasking (cf. germane vs extrinsic cognitive load). Also, it makes mind-wandering and multitasking less likely, compared to lengthy block practice which allows you to "switch off" and play almost on autopilot without gaining much from the practice at that point.

[@pickinstone]

Wow, throwback practice technique. A phenomenal jazz guitarist back in Los Angeles taught me that technique years back. Sounds easy, but committing to the 5 right or go back is so HARD! I gotta get back to that. Not only correctly, but GROOVING by the time you get to the 5th time.

[@goneaerial41]

This is great advice. I also highly suggest, once you're starting to feel confidence on a part, practicing performing it while allowing your mind to be distracted by something else (watching tv, or the like). It's not something you want to do all the time, but it's a great way to build trust that your body and subconscious know what they're doing because you've trained them, and it will help when you have distractions to deal with at the gig. Building that confidence is great for nerves when performing. I got this idea from the actor John C. McGinley who is known for being able to perform long monologues on short notice, he apparently always wrote out the monologue in a composition book and wouldn't perform it until he could recite the monologue while juggling and not dropping a ball.

[@88steps81]

This! I almost always practice with my headphones on. I'm just a beginner with no performance experience and aspirations, but i cannot play when there are people around me and even dishwasher can distract me :D Performance practice without headphones already helped me a bit, but it's a good advice to add small distractors and try to remain calm and focused on playing,

[@thomasdotson8978]

I love your videos Jeff! You offer very practical advice from a more experienced perspective

[@MihailKsida]

Interesting video! Thank You for information!

[@BurntMcgurnt]

Hey Jeff cool video! I really miss your saxophone playing a lot though I wish you'd bring it back!!!

[@crazyeelboy]

Excellent- thanks

[@AlexOumanski]

This is a great advice, Thanks a lot Jeff, שלום

[@maurj5048]

Your content is awesome man

[@TheDessertWarrior]

I learned this from you years ago. Don’t perform music live, but have used it for giving speeches and it works really well even for that. Thanks for sharing

[@TracksWithDax]

lemme just say Jeff, I'm really glad to see you're growing on KZbin!! I remember for the longest time you were putting out some of the best stuff I've seen, but it looked like your subs were stuck. Great stuff!! I'm learning a lot :)

[@kevincoltri2310]

Hey Jeff, I’ve been teaching this exact technique to all of my students for years. They usually hate it until the results come and then it’s a💡moment. Def going to share this vid next time a student isn’t “feeling” this approach! 👍

[@jameslabs1]

Thanks

[@ergnoor3551]

This is an advice that is impossible to overestimate. Thank you!

[@gib321]

Been there many times as an intermediate hobbyist, on the band stand and knowing the set incudes some tunes that I'm not on top of and that worst feeling in the world when I don't want to look up at the audience after playing because I know my playing just wasn't good enough.

[@iffa70]

Great video!! I wish i was as talented as you!!👏👏👏

[@fredericlinden]

Along with exactly the advice you give, perhaps I may share that I personally have often solved repeated errors in a particular passage by lying on the bed and playing that specific section in my head. Very revealing 'exercise'. I was a teenager when I started that type of process, away from the instrument, understanding intuitively at the time that my fingers could do it, but simply the message sent by the brain was incorrect. Once I could play it 'in my head' correctly, perfectly several times, then I could sit at the piano and could play it consistently well and with a RELAXED mind. ~~~~ Another approach that has worked for me is to record myself playing the passage right, then to listen again and again (to me playing it). (If you have the option of modifying the speed, that is also very helpful.) Psychologically, that reinforces the trust in one's ability to play the piece well. Essentially, when already equipped technically (...), any blockage comes from a confused brain ... from too many wrong attempts. ~~~ All this said, we can only agree with the technique you describe very well.

[@divaspakhrin8969]

2:42 this is what I am doing and you shared that's a lot.

[@HpPmL]

This method also teaches humility as it will test your patience and shatter your ego. Being able to endure it is what differentiate pros and amateurs.

[@MarkMorganTrumpet]

Great video. Daniel Coyle's book, The Talent Code, really turned my practicing around. Also Dr. Nate Zinsser's Book, The Confident Mind, is a must-read for gaining confidence on your instrument. Btw, love seeing Old Glory in the background.

[@SweetSpotGuitar]

Kenny Werner has this Practice Diamond idea in his book _Effortless_Mastery_. The corners of the diamond are: Play Effortlessly, Play Fast, Play Perfectly, and Play the Entire Example. Play Effortlessly is a non-negotiable. That needs to be in mind always. Don't muscle it--let it flow. Then, pick one other corner for two corners total and practice that effortlessly. Then, play with three corners in view. You can go back and forth between the corners (and two corners vs. three) as necessary. The goal, of course, is all four corners. One caveat is that if you do too much Play Fast without working on Play Perfectly, you could be practicing a clamfest. You get the idea. Really great paradigm, and one that has stuck with me for a long while.

[@ChrisCollinsGuitar]

Well said. Wish I had watched this earlier in my life 😂

[@88steps81]

I'm using 5-7 perfect reps approach. And Annika from Heart of the keys chanel is so hardcore, that she suggested doing 10 in a row! If the music is difficult, then it is 5-10 perfect reps per day, every day for a month or even longer. It's effective but brain is melting sometimes, especially at the very early stage.

[@MrSF247]

I forget where I heard this, but playing it without mistakes 5 times in a row reminds me of the saying, "An amateur plays it until s/he gets it right. A professional plays it until s/he doesn't get it wrong."

[@nonsimplesimon]

Do you practice with a metronome?

[@kitgroovemachine]

thanks great practice advice. It's funny how accurate I can play my originals, when only die hard fans know what it should sound.

[@PtikPhoenetikTalk]

2:34 is the answer

[@matt_greene]

I remember being on a cruise and getting so excited for Rhapsody in Blue to be performed only to be let down when a young pianist completely botched their solo! jk i'm sure you were great and no one noticed. Another thing to remember, and I'm stealing this from the software development world, is SHIP IT! You don't have to be 100% in order to put your art out in the world.

[@mileshurtauthor]

Jeff I like your channel but please reconsider the use of AI images. You tell a great story without needing them. AI art to my eyes looks awful. Please trust that your audience is intelligent enough to stay engaged without needing these images added.

[@Val-wf6mg]

This

[@Obscurity202]

None of these KZbin videos are practicing for me. What gives?

[@garythorsen2861]

You lost me at blah de blah de blah.

[@jackiego1]

I wish my performance anxiety was just with piano.. 🫠😶‍🌫️