Do you often feel frustrated because you don’t seem to be making any tangible progress on the flute? Chances are, you might (still) be making one of these five common practice mistakes.
Wasting time
Are you playing your pieces over and over, hoping they will improve? Spoiler alert – they will not! Or perhaps you are just playing your instrument mindlessly, without really engaging your brain? This too, will bear very little fruit. Having a plan and breaking your practice down into logical, manageable steps is vital if you want to see results. If you have no idea where to start, you will want to read this blog article designed to help you to become more focused and purpose-driven in your playing.
Prioritizing quantity over quality
Students often mistakenly consider length of practice more important than the how and the why behind it. Consider the difference between even just ten minutes of carefully thought-out, purpose-filled practice versus three hours of wasted time playing without a plan. Though it might sound like you are practicing hard if you say you practiced for hours on end, what are you really accomplishing? Instead, try and ask yourself how much you can get done in the shortest amount of time.
Being impatient
Patience is often an overlooked virtue these days. Everything needs to happen yesterday, and as a society, we are used to instant gratification. But – as most musicians, sportsmen or gardeners will tell you – progress takes time. Taking those small, consistent steps in the right direction will ensure that you improve, albeit slowly. You may also make the mistake of skipping essential steps in your practice by attempting to play music that is too hard for you. When you start embracing the reality that everything (including certain parts of a piece you may be trying to improve) takes time, it will change the way you play.
Continuously rehearsing mistakes
When you are playing a piece and continuously make the same mistakes, these may soon become an ingrained habit. So, instead of rehearsing the piece and stumbling over the same notes, rather slow down and try to figure out what the problem is.
The same goes for patterns of tension. You could be playing a piece of music while being tense and then this too, can become embedded in your performance.
A third, very important aspect is your thoughts when you play. Do these phrases sound familiar? “I can never get this part right!” or “I always mess up here.” If so, it may be worth examining those thoughts and challenging yourself on them. If you don’t, they may just pop up when you least want them to, such as during a performance or a recital.
So, ask yourself: What can I say to myself that would be more helpful, upbuilding and encouraging than those negative thoughts? If you struggle with this, imagine what encouraging advice you might give to a good friend who is in your shoes.
Being off-balance
Often, students may fall into one of two categories. The first type of student is incredibly dedicated to the more technical aspects of flute playing and usually pushes themselves quite hard. In the process, they forget about the fun, light-hearted side of playing and may burn themselves out.
On the other hand, you get those students who are very passionate about the flute and enjoy playing, but may be neglecting the more focused aspects of playing. This often results in minimal progress, which may lead to frustration.
Both aspects are certainly important in creating a balanced approach to the flute. You may even go through phases where one aspect is more important than the other and that’s ok too! And if you tend towards one or the other extreme, make sure you are balancing yourself out with the parts of playing that don’t come as naturally to you.
The bottom line is – you CAN avoid these common mistakes if you have a plan and are willing to implement it.
To aid you in this process, we have created a wonderful tool to help you to plan your practice – a practical A5 coil-bound book with space to record your playing goals and a customized practice plan. On top of that, I will also be hosting a live session on how to create your own practice plan on Saturday, 21st of January at 12pm (ET). Speaking from my own experience and process of trial and error, I will teach you how to do this for yourself and create a plan suited to your specific needs and goals. Links are below, make sure you don’t miss it!
Buy the practice journal here:
Sign up for the LIVE practice planning Workshop
Learn how to set your own practice plan from beginning to end in our upcoming LIVE workshop on Saturday the 21st of January at 12 pm Eastern Time.
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