Meaning of practice: This means a repetition of activity to improve ones skill.

In life, we’ve come to understand how important and indispensable practice is in every field of learning. It is thereby prominent in the science and art field.

As a musician, the most of our job is to PRACTICE. However, from time to time, many musicians have faced the undeniable question ‘How do I practice?’

I have hereby designed this laws to guide us on how our practices can achieve effective productivity.

Study have shown that the only three things which make a great musician is PRACTICE! PRACTICE!! & PRACTICE!!!

1. Practice the right things
   Quote: There’s a difference between being busy and being productive.

Following the quote, it has been an undeniable fact from time to time how people get busy with future promising activities without growing/improving in them, while some others apply just little efforts to same activities and are discovered successful and more productive.
The outstanding difference thereby bring about the question ‘What do you practice?’

Most of us have ideas we want to show the world, we have abilities we want the world to know about which often time make us rush into establishments without starting the right way, this later affects us on our journey to the top thereby standing as a stumbling block to achieving that greatness (Just like a farmer who runs to the farm with over excitement of harvesting his planted crops and forgets his farm tools. He will either end up going back for them or doing nothing at all).

As musicians, lots of us learnt in a very slim way, but having the desideratum of becoming a world class musician, unknowing to us that we learnt wrong things which on the later, affects our musicianship. It goes down to scoring solos, riffs & runs, patterns etc. without bearing in mind that those were built on a particular song structure, chord progression, genre, style etc.

It is therefore advised to undertake the practice of all good execution.

‘UNLEARN THE WRONG THINGS AND LEARN THE RIGHT THING’

*Learn from the right people
*Make researches
*Practice the right thing

1. Practice well
   Quote: Anything worth doing is worth doing well

Following the quote, this cannot be over-emphasized, we all understand how important it is to achieve something great. It starts with setting your mind to it, then devoting your time, then making sure to do it well.

As a practicing musician, you need to have a practice routine, practice structure, practice speed (from slow to fast respectively) and most of all, a practice objective.

Practice Routine

Organize a practice scheme for yourself, according as your availability. It can be 4 or 2 hours a day, maybe morning today, noon tomorrow, or evening the next (according as your availability).

NB: It is highly advised to practice everyday. 30 minutes practice for everyday is better than 8 hours practice for once a week.

Practice structure: Your practice can have different sessions for different durations e.g Long tones – 10mins, Scales and arpeggios – 20mins, Sight playing – 50mins, Patterns – 15mins, Improvisation – 25mins etc.

NB: You can practice the same exercises for 4 – 5 days or more, to ensure you know it WELL.

READ ALSO: Practice Room 10 commandment

Practice Speed

When you practice, you shouldn’t just rush the exercises. They should be taken as slow as possible to ensure an excellent production, then increasing the speed little by little until you can do it on a fast speed and still make it clean and clear, observing all necessary articulations and rhythmic structures without any slight error.
NB: It is discreetly advised to practice with a metronome in other to regulate your timing

Practice Objective

Above all, you should always have a goal, have a motivation, have a target. Set a task to be accomplished in a given duration of time. This will aid your focus and not get you distracted along the way.
NB: Your objective should determine your practice content/constituents and proportions

1. Practice to never forget
   Quote: Don’t practice until you get it right, practice until you can never get it wrong

It may appear sometimes disappointing to undertake the defense of what you’ve practiced when you don’t practice it well enough. We discover that sometimes we want to apply a phrase or pattern we’ve practiced into our solo and shet! It’s a quack, why because we didn’t practice it well enough.

When you practice, do it to the extent that even if you’re being woken from a deep sleep and asked to play immediately, you’ll still do it well.

It all comes down to developing the habit of ‘PATIENCE’. As a musician, this should be one of your greatest virtue which will lead into becoming that great musician you dream of becoming.

NB: It is one thing to know the three laws of practice, it is another to imply them in practice

PATIENCE LEADS TO GREATNESS

Music Director

I am Music Estate’s Music Director