How To Practice Music Effectively (5 Mistakes To Avoid)

When you know how to practice music effectively you will improve much faster. By avoiding these 5 common mistakes you’ll get more results from less practice time.
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-- How to practice music effectively (5 mistakes to avoid) --
There's no avoiding the need to practice. If you want to make steady progress as a musician then you need to put the hours in. But not all practice is created equal. If your practice is really effective then you can make much MORE progress in much LESS time.
This video goes over 5 common mistakes I see musicians make that significantly reduce how effective their practice is. Luckily, if you realise you're making one or more of these mistakes then they're all pretty easy to correct. So you can be on your way to getting much more from your practice in no time at all.
If you like this video, please LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, & SHARE!

[@PlayInTheZone]

WATCH NEXT: How to get into the Zone when you practice music - kzbin.info/www/bejne/d5rJpImPjtx2a6M

[@batlin]

Great points here. One other thing I think could be important is something my piano teacher used to say to me years ago: it's better to practice even for 5 minutes, every day, than 1 hour once per week. This came back to me recently as I started teaching myself violin and learning some new piano pieces, so to reduce the risk of burnout I generally limit my practice to about 30 minutes, almost every day. I think this idea of frequent, rather than lengthy, practice fits better with how our long-term memory works -- Ebbinghaus' model of the "forgetting curve" has been embraced with spaced repetition systems mostly for language/vocabulary study but not so much for music. Even though there is a large procedural memory component to music practice, it still depends on long-term memory too.

[@PlayInTheZone]

You're absolutely right. Great tip! As it happens I've got a video coming out in a few weeks' time that touches on this a bit.

[@percymuso2369]

Having taught music for 50 years, I really endorse your advice here. I have worked with junior secondary students throughout my teaching career, and practice can be one of the most difficult things to get them to do consistently. I particularly liked your last two points, about slowing down in order to get it right, and about practising in shorter bursts, in order to keep keenly focussed. I don't often ask my students for how long they practised. But I consistently ask them what them have improved. Knowing that I'll ask them what they improved helps them to focus, and have a clear goal.

[@PlayInTheZone]

Thanks for your comments, Percy. Great that you're getting your students to tie practice to specific results.

[@jcmurr2669]

Too bad he has never played and instrument. never. not once.

[@jamesweiss2845]

Mark, you are wise and humane and relatable. Each of your five tips is something I’ve learned and my piano teacher has instilled so it is truly instructive to have them summarized so concisely. Thanks for your commitment to all of us!

[@rachelsmename6]

Wow, I just discovered your videos! This is exactly what I've needed. Thank you so much for making this channel. You are very good at explaining these things in a clear manner.

[@PlayInTheZone]

You are so welcome, Rachel! Glad you're finding the videos helpful.

[@petermcmurtry]

Good stuff Mark, thanks. I've already found these points to be vitally important in my practice after doing 3 of your courses. I think focus is key, although, not disregarding the importance of the other 4 points. I have found that I can do 10 - 15 minutes of focused practice, whilst working on a small excerpt (maybe 4 - 16 bars) at any time between other events in my day, and achieve great results. I leave the practice room feeling that I have accomplished something important and can't wait to get back in there for my next discovery.

[@PlayInTheZone]

That's a fantastic way to do things, Peter. Once you realise that you can achieve a lot in a short practice session it can really open the doors to rapid progress (when compared to the mindset of believing you need a big chunk of time to be effective)

[@janegrace-lesser3955]

Thankyou for these helpful points. Definitely food for thought here!

[@PlayInTheZone]

Glad it was helpful, Jane!

[@mjdkeys5998]

This is fantastic!!!

[@luizcampello4942]

I totally agree with you, Mark. Thanks

[@PlayInTheZone]

You're welcome, Luiz.

[@tigger_95]

This has really good points

[@frankdurant3113]

All this is true info. Being a noobie, it is definitely necessary to follow a solid focused practice without overloading on too many different objectives. All together it becomes a total distraction on at least accomplishing a true start.

[@PlayInTheZone]

Glad it was helpful, Frank!

[@rebeccaekman4056]

These videos are making me progress a lot faster. Thank you, really.

[@drumtavo]

GOOD POINTS, SPECIALLY ABOUT PRACTISING WITH INTENTION AND A CLEAR GOAL, DOING IT SLOWLY SO EVERY REPETITION IS PERFECT AND, CONCENTRATION OR FOCUS, THAT MAKES EVERY MINUTE WORTH. I WOULD ADD, ALSO PRACTISING EXERCISING ATTENTIVE LISTENING. THAT IS, TRULY LISTENING TO DETAIL WHAT WE ARE PLAYING OR PRACTISING. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK MARK

[@PlayInTheZone]

Absolutely, Gustavo. Really listening carefully and then taking a second to reflect on what you heard (rather than mindless repetitions) makes a huge difference.

[@stevemajic2958]

Excellent tips and wisdom and it couldn't come at a better time for me!!! Thank you and keep up the GREAT WORK!!!

[@PlayInTheZone]

Thanks, Steve. So glad it was helpful!

[@hannesteffensen3094]

These 5 tips really are usefull to go for! They have given me joy in exercising again. Hanne.

[@PlayInTheZone]

Glad you like them!

[@johnharrington1330]

Tks Mark you’re very helpfull.

[@PlayInTheZone]

Glad to hear that!

[@esioanniannaho5939]

I was haphazard in my practice till I watched one of your videos and made a list of particular components I was unhappy with. Also taped my progress (every 6 mos) and listened back dismayed as I realised Items I was unhappy with and caused me frustration also prioritised these to my list. Agreed when learning a new tune after going thro it there are always sections that frustrate me which I have always focused on. Great video as usual. Muchos mucho.

[@lestrum]

Very useful. A few I have already adhered to but its always good to have them reinforced regardless. Thanks.

[@PlayInTheZone]

Glad it was helpful!

[@bernardfranklin6779]

Hi Mark thank you for the time you spent, yes ido practice to fast and flutter about to, much with your help i am making good progress,, 🎶🎶🎶🎶🙏🙏🙏🎶🎶🌹😊

[@PlayInTheZone]

Great job, Bernard!

[@markoerdevicki]

Very useful.Thanks!

[@PlayInTheZone]

You're welcome, Marko!

[@Joethedrummer]

Great advice and insights, thanks

[@PlayInTheZone]

My pleasure, Joe! Glad it was helpful.

[@brendanmcsherry5413]

Thanks Mark

[@PlayInTheZone]

No worries, Brendan.

[@massmanute]

Good advice. Your comments overlap considerably with what my music teacher tells me. A sixth bit of advice (which could be considered an extension of your fifth point) is that if your instrument is one that has considerable physical requirements that can lead to physical fatigue (such as the embouchure for brasswind players) then in any one session don't try to practice beyond the point at which fatigue leads to the development of bad habits. Some degree of fatigue-challenge might be OK in order to improve strength and endurance, but at some point it becomes too much and leads to negative results.

[@PlayInTheZone]

Yes. Good point!

[@preckle]

Yes this is so important. I wish my teachers had talked about this! Excessive tension leading to poor performance.

[@jcleary1945]

Fantastic advice!

[@PlayInTheZone]

Glad it was helpful, Joe!

[@agakuraburihabwa9024]

Thank you!!! I totally agree on the clarity point, and asking what results do I want to see, what do I want to change/improve? And practicing those three bars that I felt insecure about have also worked miracles when it comes to battling what I thought was performance anxiety when in reality it was just knowing that there were parts that I still felt insecure about.

[@PlayInTheZone]

So glad to hear it helped, Agakura.

[@drbassnote]

A lot of wisdom in your words, as usual

[@PlayInTheZone]

Thanks, Giulio! And great to hear from you. I'll have to check out your recent videos...

[@tigger_95]

I like this. Good points.

[@PlayInTheZone]

So glad it was helpful.

[@margaretflockhart7605]

Thank you Mark. That was most helpful. I shall now stick to bars 18 to 25 of the Moonlight Sonata until I get them flowing with the rest of the piece.

[@PlayInTheZone]

Excellent! Great work setting a specific and limited goal.

[@PaulMilligan77]

Mark? I absolutely agree with everything you say here. I believe in doing short, focused practice sessions on the areas that I know I need to improve on. It really works and I’ve done and preached these points for years - it really works guys & gals. My own two stumbling blocks have always and still are to a certain degree are 1) Left hand sight reading and 2) Getting the rhythm right. Both of these aspects of being a performing pianist are vital for me. I recently contacted Mark directly and admitted to not working on my LH reading enough - as this is a definite weakness and was holding me back. I have since then, spent about 15 minutes of each practice session - purely concentrating on these. I really have started to improve and find that I not only are able to read LH piano without spending too long on the sections, it’s enabled me to progress through more complex pieces and learn them quicker. Ironically, it’s very important to take your time, appreciate the difficult areas and take it steady. Happy playing everyone - practice for less time, but more often - a bit like physical exercise or revising for an exam, short and often is the key!

[@PlayInTheZone]

Great to hear about your progress, Paul. Keep up the good work.

[@lewistillett206]

This was great

[@PlayInTheZone]

So glad you enjoyed it, Lewis.

[@ursulafaulkner9923]

Mark, yes it's Ana Torroja here thank you for the viewing of your videos on music practice and really good tips on how to become proficient with music exploration. I would like to take this opportunity on congratulations to and also. The best of luck to you Mark as a speaker on the upcoming Jazz live.

[@PlayInTheZone]

Thanks so much, Ana!

[@ariush_music]

i just subscribed , amazing channel

[@PlayInTheZone]

So glad you're enjoying the videos.

[@metermorphose]

🎼Thank you for your calm, mindful, inspiring personality🍀

[@PlayInTheZone]

Wow, thank you

[@metermorphose]

@@PlayInTheZone Honour to whom honour is due.😊

[@metermorphose]

@@PlayInTheZone Honour to whom honour is due.😊

[@AniaBrzezinskaTrumpet]

Hi Mark, just listened some of your videos that i found thanks to an advertisement poping up on Miles Davis video i was going to analize. Signed up for the free e-book but still didn't get the email with the link..Hope it comes soon.. Anyways, thank you for the inspiring information and reminders about some crucial aspects in practice sessions. I already was aware of them, but somehow they slipped out with some things becoming just routines.. Nice to get it back and keep in mind. All best, Ania

[@PlayInTheZone]

Welcome aboard, Ania! If the ebook still doesn't arrive then try entering your email address again (just in case you made a mistake the first time). Or get in touch through the "contact" page on my website so we can see what's going on.

[@samueltaylor6861]

Do your tips help make it to Chicago philharmonique symphony orchestra as a bassoon player?

[@dougnickerson]

I've been working on correcting a few things in my practice, a few of which agree with your tips. A concept that encouraged me with regard to focusing on those parts with Which you have the most difficulty was offered oin KZbin by Josh Wright . That is, sometimes I repeat those parts that are already 'okay' for two reasons . One reason is that it is fun to play the parts that already 'sound good.' The second is that I'm worried that I will forget what I already have fairly well mastered; Therefore, I play those parts over to assure me that I 'have it.' This was the insight: in focusing on the parts that are difficult for you, you need not worry that you will suddenly 'forget' the parts of the piece that you already have worked up well. Recently, after working on the hard parts, I play through the piece again integrating the hard measures , and to reward myself For all my hard work. 😀

[@PlayInTheZone]

Sounds like a great approach, Doug. Rewarding yourself is very important.

[@DennisESedney]

nice

[@PlayInTheZone]

Thanks

[@clifford1871]

Well, to accompany my singing with a dependable-enough harmony--just 50% as nicely AS MARK's piano chops would be my goal in life ! And as you reminded us to practice with a clear target, in the first 30 minutes, I have been aiming to match the correct melody in my mind to play it accurately in my right hand. I just don't know if I should focus on that , ALONE, for 1 1/2 more months--or if I should keep splitting half of that 30 minute segment. I mean that I am presently using the LAST 15 minutes of the above 30 minutes adding some kind of simple left hand accompaniment--suddenly working two hands together. I thank you , in advance, for any opinion on that Mark. ( Oh !, the goal is to spend 70-90 MORE minutes just re-fining some of these 18 accompaniments:" Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head"/ "Edelweiss"/The Happy Birthday Song/"Auld Lang Syne"/"Yesterday" by the Beattles , Toreador chorus from the opera CARMEN, "Amazing Grace", etc., my own melodies. That's a mouthful ! LOL )

[@PlayInTheZone]

A lot comes down to what you feel motivated to keep practising. I personally like to mix things up and approach the same goal from different angles. That's more interesing to me than constantly grinding away at only one thing.

[@gelsomina8438]

It would be nice shorter videos and to the point, but these things are very well known, it is not a mystery for intelligent musicians.

[@PlayInTheZone]

You'd hope so. But I find I come across a large number of musicians who don't know these things (or at least don't put them into practice consistently).

[@hajotrompetenunterricht9751]

Yes I totally agree with that points. Sometimes I have problems to concentrate while practice. The idea of the short pause when concentration disappeared is a very good point. I will try it Thank you Mark Hajo Thome

[@angelinawoo627]

Unbelievably insightful and precise! Thank you.

[@PlayInTheZone]

So glad it was helpful, Angelina!

[@koontzman123]

I'd have to go with goals. My main goal is to be a one man band on a cruise ship. This presents several challenges: learn multiple genres, acoustic/ electric/ bass guitar, sing & play at the same time, live looping, mastering my pedals, mastering midi and signal routing, learn 100's of songs. So yes, choosing ONE thing is mighty difficult.

[@PlayInTheZone]

Yes, it's difficult. But you can do it!

[@GabrielAlves-ty5oc]

There's a guitarrist here the practices (yeah, he claims its deliberate) 12 hours a day and he claims that it's necessary. I felt bad about that because this would make me give up on my other life passions, such as listening to music, watching a movie, playing with my friends, writing songs, drawing. I couldn't do it and i felt bad that i'm only practicing 2 to 3 hours a day and i'll never be good enough or my band will eternally suck. I'm glad that there's hope and its about practicing smarter other than harder.

[@PlayInTheZone]

Yes. Definitely about practising smarter. Harder can be good too (if you're up for it) - but you need to make sure you're focused when you practice. Reports from the great musicians of the past suggest that it's really hard to practice very effectively for more than about 4 hours a day. If you're practising seriously then it should consume a LOT of mental effort.

[@GabrielAlves-ty5oc]

@@PlayInTheZone yeah, i'm trying my best to be as focused as possible and i find that after 45min-1 hour i NEED to get a break. If i start wondering about other things while i'm practicing i know that i need yo chance the approach. Though, with creativity stuff i can go for a lot longer

[@mohammednacereddinekebir1580]

I can define medium-term or long term goals, but it is more difficult for me to define short-term goals. In addition to that, I have a tendency to set too many goals for a practice or for a week’s practice. I end up not achieving all my goals, which has a negative effect because I unconsciously associate that with a failure!

[@PlayInTheZone]

I know that feeling! I have a tendency to want to set too many goals as well. It takes discipline to restrict myself to only a few (like you say, though, the benefits in terms of motivation are huge). For short-term goals, does it help to literally just think "what is the single next step I need to take along this path?"? I find that works well for me rather than trying to over complicate things.

[@highvibee]

Yep, I also totally agree. When I practice with 100% focus and my mind starts to wander, I immediately stop and let the mind be for 10 seconds, then I refocus again. 5-10 min chunks with small breaks in between 2 h/ day. By the way, if you're serious with your music carrier you should definitely check out Mark's UYP course. playinthezone.com/unlock-your-performance/

[@PlayInTheZone]

Sounds like a great way to approach things, Stephan. I really have to stay disciplined at this, though. I'm usually tempted to just keep playing...

[@highvibee]

Yes agree, that’s the tricky part, I’m also mostly tempted to go ahead and usually more disciplined where there’s a new tricky part I have to learn.

[@camillegold279]

ive got a teacher but don't tend to put in the hours of parctice ..and can feel stressed and guilty.. im thinking I might be more of a writer (lyrics) and then playing them against a 12 bar blues.. should I stop the lessons?

[@PlayInTheZone]

I think it's about doing some amount of effective practice - whatever that is - rather than felling there's a set amount of hours you MUST do. At the end of the day, do you feel llike you're enjoying the lessons? And that you're getting something useful out of them? If so, then there's no reason why you need to stop.

[@kevsimpson88keys77]

best tip ever have a break before you start lmao

[@PlayInTheZone]

Yes. It can definitely help to take a second to prepare and get focused before starting.

[@Mickferndalespeedy]

I would say that focussing on 5 mistakes is a mistake. It would be better to focus on the positive. Here's 5 things you can do to improve your playing and speed up your improvement rate. Be a better player faster with these 5 top tips. Model success. Rather than telling people what to avoid.

[@PlayInTheZone]

There are lots of ways to come at this topic, Mick. This particular video points out mistakes to avoid. I've done others giving specific tips of things to make sure you do. I agree that it's really important to model success. But there's space for lots of other different angles as well...

[@cziffra1980]

I think it's a mistake to say that focusing on 5 mistakes is a mistake. It would be better to focus on the positive of what he can do to improve his video. Concentrate on success rather than on telling him what to avoid.

[@davidkelly1220]

Christ dont "record an album" guys...leave the I want to be famous without the work by lunch time to the xfactor crowd...play for the right reasons Good video btw, cheers for posting

[@PlayInTheZone]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@pinny492]

Doesn't make any difference how you practice.If you have natural ability you will learn fast.If you don't, you will learn slow.It is that simple really.All these tips about how to practice "better" really dont make much difference.Your learning ability is hereditory, and nothing you do is going to change it

[@PlayInTheZone]

The scientific research doesn't support that view. Take a look at Professor Anders Ericsson's work on deliberate practice for an intro to some of these ideas.

[@pinny492]

@@PlayInTheZone unfortunately, Ericcsons' work doesn't actually indicate that deliberate practice is all that is required for expert performance.Other studies have indicated perhaps 1/3rd of on task performance can be attributed to any practice or training regime, with the remainder of the variation explained by factors other than practice.Even Ericcsons own data suggest an enormous variation in practice requirements between individuals.Also the term "deliberate practice" is thus far very poorly defined, with any and all practice qualifying to some extent as "deliberate practice".

[@pinny492]

@@PlayInTheZone Ericssons work is basically rot. Increasingly the evidence points to hereditory factors as determinants of performance and ability.There is no type or style of practice that overrides innate ability.At least half of your capabilities are determined by genetics.Practice is about a quarter to one third of the picture.

[@neilxify]

pianodan ny Do you have a link to that research? I am really interested to read it.

[@pinny492]

@@neilxify professor Hambrick et al did a meta analysis of all the studies over the years, and found only a weak link between deliberate practice and expert performance.If you google twin studies musical ability, you can find a range of studies which show a strong hereditory component to musical ability.