Again, Melissa here. I use a variety of approaches when teaching that I hope help students to make connections that have meaning for them. Several of those students enjoy video games and so I incorporate some ideas from their favourite games and apply them to the music they are working on. Today let’s talk check points.
For those unfamiliar with games a check point is a place in a game where you can save your progress so if you “die” you don’t have to start from the very beginning. Some games will place a check point right before you head into a difficult section where you are expected to try that section several times.
When practicing we often start at the beginning and play for as long as we can before making a mistake. The beginning of your piece often will be more comfortable than the end because not only are you working on that section more frequently but your focus will wane as you go. For some longer pieces it can be intimidating to tackle the entire piece and we have a hard time knowing where to start. A good strategy is to break up the work into smaller, manageable pieces. This can make it so your larger work is not so big and you’re able to maintain your focus.
This is where the idea of check points can be helpful. Look at your piece and decide on manageable sections depending on the piece that could be phrases, 8 bars, 4 bars, 1 bar or sometimes one beat (smaller is better). When you break down these sections think about how challenging the piece is. Whatever you decide your section is, work on that section mindfully. When you are happy with that section “save it”. Then start your work on the next section. Only work on small sections for as long as you feel engaged. Once you notice your attention wandering mix up your method of practice or move to another section, unlike actual video games you can move onto the next section and come back to beat that “Boss”.
Once you are happy with your smaller sections you can take away the more frequent “Check points” and work in larger sections. When you’re ready, identify where the phrases are and work in phrases.
This is one strategy of many that you can incorporate into your toolbox. Try this out and see if it works for you. Also check out other resources such as the latest from Christine Carter writing for the Bulletproof Musician. I’ll be posting for other strategies in coming weeks, let me know if they are helpful for you.