Practice Suggestions

Practice Suggestions

Here's my suggestion for how to supercharge your practice with the techniques in this course:

30 minute practice sessions that break down to: 1/3 mindless practice, 1/3 mindful practice, and 1/3 joyful practice. Set a timer for 10 minutes and repeat three times.

Mindless practice: included moving around the circle of fifths, working tunes or songs out by ear with lots of mistakes, rhythms and repetition. Can totally be done while reading a book or watching a video! This can ease you into practice if you have trouble getting started. Vibrato exercises count or scales to build muscle memory. In many cases, metronome work or many repetitions counts as mindless practice if you're working at slow tempos to focus on speed and clarity.

Mindful practice: slow practice. Focus on tuning (with or without a drone), walking fingers, or tricky finger patterns in the left hand. In the right arm, getting a great tone with the bow (staying straight, contact point, bow control). Playing without tension or using a new technique would count as mindful practice. You could record yourself and listen back. Play slow enough and focus to make whatever you're working on perfect.

Joyful practice: at the end, just play the stuff you like to play, however it's fun to play it. Play as fast or slow as you want, that tune you always play, or something too hard for you, or too easy for you, or anything that brings you joy! Just play to have fun.

If you can just do this 30 minutes once a day, before bed is best since sleeping is a great way to integrate new information into your brain (don't check the science on that statement!). 30 minutes morning and evening is even better. Make your own version, however it works for you!

How to Play Faster

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  • Introduction

Left Hand and Arm

  • Left arm exercises before playing
  • Left arm exercises while playing

Building Muscle Memory

  • Muscle memory intro and scales
  • On the Road to Boston
  • Angeline the Baker
  • Britches Full of Stitches
  • All in one key
  • Stop and sing with Five Cent Piece

Rhythms for Speed

  • Drowsy Maggie
  • Tighe's Rare
  • Kitchen Girl
  • Hollow Poplar
  • Tatter Jack Walsh

Practicing With the Metronome

  • Lark on the Strand
  • Five Miles of Ellum Wood

Speed in the Right Arm

  • Speed and bowing in the right arm
  • Wrap Up

Resources

  • Practice Suggestions
  • Patterns in 5 Keys2
  • Scale Patterns 5 keys.pdf
  • Full Circle of Fifths