General Tips and Practice Techniques
Start Now!
Don't wait until summer is over and school is taking up all of your time. You will feel overwhelmed by the études, combined with all of the music for school, music for your private teacher, as well as homework, and will not learn the études to your best ability.
Don't "Practice" By Playing From Beginning to End
This is not considered practicing. When you learn a new piece you must first secure it in short-term muscle memory and then slowly transfer it to long-term muscle memory. Playing a piece from beginning to end does nothing for securing short-term memory because once you get to the end of the piece your muscles have already forgotten how to play the beginning. Instead, work in small sections.
Once you have conquered all of the difficult spots you can do a run-through once or twice a day.
Make a "Practice Item" List
Write out a list of things to focus on while practicing your sections and work on one at a time.
For example:
Intonation
Rhythm
Bowing (placement, bow hold)
Left Hand Position (wrist, finger placement)
Sound Quality
Vibrato
Practice the Études in Sections
Divide each etude into at least 8 different sections. Use your "Practice Item" list as a guide and check off each "Item" as you complete it. It is also a good idea to identify the particularly difficult spots and mark them in your music (no larger than 8 bar phrases). Take 10-15 minutes to slowly work on each spot with a tuner or metronome.
Practice SLOWLY!
Only practice at a tempo you can maintain for the entire étude. Otherwise you are teaching yourself to change tempos and play incorrect rhythms. Try gradually increasing your tempo with a metronome.
The Metronome is Your Best Friend! Use it!
The continuous repetition that comes with metronome practice solidifies muscle memory, and is the optimal way to build up tempo and play with accurate rhythm. It is also a good way to motivate yourself to continue practicing by setting a goal tempo and trying to beat it each day.
For super comfort of playing, try working your etudes up to a tempo that is faster than your ultimate goal. Then when you play at your goal tempo, it will seem much easier!
Memorize the Études
Even if you are not playing from memory in the audition, memorizing your music is the best way to ensure that you are prepared. After you have memorized an étude, practice it both with and without music.
Practice From the End to the Beginning
The end of any étude is often the most neglected because students usually practice starting from the beginning. Try practicing the last line of the étude and, after mastering it, back up a line and work from there to the end. Do this all the way to the beginning of the piece.
Practice Using the Rhythm Technique
If you do not know what the Rhythm Technique is, click here (under construction, check back soon!) Combine the Rhythm Technique with a metronome for super fast fingers!
Use the Penny Method
Take 10 pennies and put them in a pile on a table next to you. Section off a measure or 2 that you are having difficulty with. Every time you play the section perfectly (fast or slow) move a penny to a new pile on the other side of the table. If you make a mistake, move all of the pennies back to the original pile. Try to get all 10 pennies to the new pile!
Measure Your Shifts
Practice big shifts by measuring the distance with your hand/fingers. You do this by gliding very slowly up (or down) to the note until you lock into the center of the pitch. Make sure you don't overshoot! Repeat until you can make the shift perfectly 10 times in a row.
Count Out Loud
Practice counting out loud while playing. If you can do this you're unstoppable!
Remember How the Judges Think
Their job is to cut down thousands of violinists in the state of Texas to about a hundred violinists for 3 different orchestras. This means they are looking for any reason to cut someone out of the running. You cannot earn any points for extra creativity or musicality. Think of it as starting out with a score of 100 and they are trying to chip as many points away as possible. You want to keep ALL of your points! This means you must stick to playing the music as perfectly and accurately as it is written on the paper (intonation, rhythm, tempo, dynamics, cleanliness etc.).
Still Not Working?
If all else fails, and you are still having trouble with something, ask your teacher!! They are there to help you and want you to succeed! If they are not available to ask in person, send them an email or give them a call. Teachers love hearing from their students - it means they are practicing! :)
Don't wait until summer is over and school is taking up all of your time. You will feel overwhelmed by the études, combined with all of the music for school, music for your private teacher, as well as homework, and will not learn the études to your best ability.
Don't "Practice" By Playing From Beginning to End
This is not considered practicing. When you learn a new piece you must first secure it in short-term muscle memory and then slowly transfer it to long-term muscle memory. Playing a piece from beginning to end does nothing for securing short-term memory because once you get to the end of the piece your muscles have already forgotten how to play the beginning. Instead, work in small sections.
Once you have conquered all of the difficult spots you can do a run-through once or twice a day.
Make a "Practice Item" List
Write out a list of things to focus on while practicing your sections and work on one at a time.
For example:
Intonation
Rhythm
Bowing (placement, bow hold)
Left Hand Position (wrist, finger placement)
Sound Quality
Vibrato
Practice the Études in Sections
Divide each etude into at least 8 different sections. Use your "Practice Item" list as a guide and check off each "Item" as you complete it. It is also a good idea to identify the particularly difficult spots and mark them in your music (no larger than 8 bar phrases). Take 10-15 minutes to slowly work on each spot with a tuner or metronome.
Practice SLOWLY!
Only practice at a tempo you can maintain for the entire étude. Otherwise you are teaching yourself to change tempos and play incorrect rhythms. Try gradually increasing your tempo with a metronome.
The Metronome is Your Best Friend! Use it!
The continuous repetition that comes with metronome practice solidifies muscle memory, and is the optimal way to build up tempo and play with accurate rhythm. It is also a good way to motivate yourself to continue practicing by setting a goal tempo and trying to beat it each day.
For super comfort of playing, try working your etudes up to a tempo that is faster than your ultimate goal. Then when you play at your goal tempo, it will seem much easier!
Memorize the Études
Even if you are not playing from memory in the audition, memorizing your music is the best way to ensure that you are prepared. After you have memorized an étude, practice it both with and without music.
Practice From the End to the Beginning
The end of any étude is often the most neglected because students usually practice starting from the beginning. Try practicing the last line of the étude and, after mastering it, back up a line and work from there to the end. Do this all the way to the beginning of the piece.
Practice Using the Rhythm Technique
If you do not know what the Rhythm Technique is, click here (under construction, check back soon!) Combine the Rhythm Technique with a metronome for super fast fingers!
Use the Penny Method
Take 10 pennies and put them in a pile on a table next to you. Section off a measure or 2 that you are having difficulty with. Every time you play the section perfectly (fast or slow) move a penny to a new pile on the other side of the table. If you make a mistake, move all of the pennies back to the original pile. Try to get all 10 pennies to the new pile!
Measure Your Shifts
Practice big shifts by measuring the distance with your hand/fingers. You do this by gliding very slowly up (or down) to the note until you lock into the center of the pitch. Make sure you don't overshoot! Repeat until you can make the shift perfectly 10 times in a row.
Count Out Loud
Practice counting out loud while playing. If you can do this you're unstoppable!
Remember How the Judges Think
Their job is to cut down thousands of violinists in the state of Texas to about a hundred violinists for 3 different orchestras. This means they are looking for any reason to cut someone out of the running. You cannot earn any points for extra creativity or musicality. Think of it as starting out with a score of 100 and they are trying to chip as many points away as possible. You want to keep ALL of your points! This means you must stick to playing the music as perfectly and accurately as it is written on the paper (intonation, rhythm, tempo, dynamics, cleanliness etc.).
Still Not Working?
If all else fails, and you are still having trouble with something, ask your teacher!! They are there to help you and want you to succeed! If they are not available to ask in person, send them an email or give them a call. Teachers love hearing from their students - it means they are practicing! :)