When practicing, you should have specific goals. When you create goals, you ensure that time is not being wasted by aimlessly playing. After creating you goals, it is important to know how to meet them.  You can use the tips below to help you.

 

Repetition

 

Repetition is very important when learning new rhythms, when changing fingerings, or fixing wrong notes. It is important to play passages over and over during your practice session.  This repeated playing helps you to reinforce the material.  When you reach a section where you are having great difficulty, it might be a good idea to isolate that spot and play it repeatedly. It is extremely important to stay focused while you do this. After you are able to get through the problematic part, you can try play from a little before that section to make sure that the problem is solved.

 

Metronome

 

Playing with a metronome is very useful in learning how to play with the steady beat. It is important that you do not speed up or slow down while playing. Playing with a metronome will also reveal places that need extra work. It will help you to notice the sections that you might be speeding up or slowing down. It is important to maintain a steady pulse.

 

Practicing Slow

 

If you want to play fast, you have to learn how to play slow. Practicing slow is a very effective practicing technique you can use. Practicing slow will help you in learning fingerings, notes and rhythms. It allows you to go through the motions of playing the peace in a controlled manner so that muscle memory start to develop. After you are able to play the peace well at a slow tempo, it is important to start to speed it up until you reach the performance tempo. Don't get stuck playing at a slow pace for long.

 

Documenting Your Practice Session

 

One way to see the growth in your practice session is to document it. You can do it in a traditional way with paper and pencil, or you can record your practice session. Recording your practice session gives you the added benefit of listening for issues that you might have missed while playing. The data that you receive by listening to the recorded material, can help you in creating goals for your next practice session.