How to practice music without getting any better
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How to practice music without getting any better
Here at Labyrinth Music Blog, I’m all about giving practical, actionable advice for voice and piano students of all levels and their teachers and families. Many of my posts address frequently asked questions about music study. Today, I’m going to give you some invaluable tips for keeping your practice time fun and easy and stress-free.
Let’s be honest, we all know that getting good at music takes self-discipline. Recognizing the areas where you could improve and putting in consistent work to build up your musical abilities is challenging and humbling, and no one really feels like doing that. And yet, teachers are always pushing this bizarre notion that students need their teachers to help them to “develop their skills with intentional practice” and “courageously challenge themselves to achieve more nuanced musicianship through diligent and thoughtful effort.”
Pfft. Whatever. What students really want is instant gratification and near-zero emotional investment. We want to make music, but we don’t want it to be hard.
Most practice strategies you’ll read about online are designed to help you learn, and that’s why they’re not fun and easy. But why practice the hard way, when you could spend your practice time goofing around self-indulgently?
See, the trick to avoiding the discomfort of the learning process is to avoid learning anything. If you’re willing to settle for making music kind of poorly, you can just not do any of the hard stuff when you practice, and you won’t need any of that pesky patience or self-discipline. Here’s everything you should be doing to make sure your practice sessions get you nowhere:
Play/sing everything beginning to end every time.
Do the same old songs you already know, all the time.
Don’t pay attention to when you made mistakes or what they were. Avoid being analytical in any way.
Treat dynamics as optional. Do everything the same volume, preferably very, very loud.
Your tempo should be guided by your emotions and by how well you know the notes. Don’t bother to count, and DEFINITELY don’t use a metronome or a click track.
When you’re learning from sheet music, stop using it before you’ve fully learned the piece you’re playing/singing, or don’t bother to really read the music carefully in the first place.
Don’t follow your teacher’s instructions about what and how to practice. Pick your own songs and reject all your teacher’s song suggestions, no matter what they try to tell you about what’s appropriate for your level. Don’t take notes at your lessons. If your teacher gives you written notes, ignore them. Lose them, if possible.
Practice at random times, whenever you feel like it. Stop as soon as you start to get frustrated or feel your motivation flagging. Skip practice whenever you’d rather do something else.
Don’t think about your body. Avoid any awareness of hand position, posture, breathing, tension, or any sensations related to technique.
Get upset and vent your emotions if something is difficult or doesn’t come out the way you wanted. It’s especially helpful to damage or abuse your instrument a little bit, for revenge.
Never record yourself, and never ask for anyone’s feedback; if you get feedback, argue about why it’s wrong.
Don’t form any specific goals or create intentional plans to bring you closer to goals - not for your practice session, and not for your musicianship in general. If anyone asks you what you hope to achieve in your music studies, name a few famous pieces you aspire to sing/play someday that are way beyond your current technical abilities.
Never push yourself to try out songs, styles, or performance/collaboration situations that are unfamiliar or uncomfortable; stay in your comfort zone at all costs.
I mean, do you even need a teacher? Not if you practice like you have nothing more to learn. Make it your goal to plateau at your current level, follow these practice tips, and you’re basically guaranteed to succeed at not improving, no matter how much you practice!
(For tips on practicing to improve at music, click the Practicing category link at the top.)
