Playing a musical instrument is a perfect way to boost your creativity. However, if you are not ready to spend hours and hours to practice that same instrument and do your best then you are wasting your time. On the other hand, if you are ready to stay organized all the time, do your warm-ups and cool downs, and simply devote yourself to the goal of learning to play that instrument you are on the way to become a true musician. 

You know the saying – Practice makes perfect. Well in this case the talent is 10% and practicing makes 90% (if not more). So if you are ready to practice more effectively, please read our eight ways to improve practicing your instrument.

Create the perfect practicing atmosphere for you 

When we have to do something, whether it is practicing an instrument or writing a report or something similar we are not the same. Some people like to concentrate in a quiet surrounding, while others can’t focus if there is complete silence. This is the reason why you have to create the perfect practicing surrounding for you. 

When you finally start practicing your instrument, make sure you have everything you need near. It will save you some time and minimize the distractions at the same time. 

Never skip the warm-up

Although some of you may thing warm-up is not that important, we have to say that it definitely is essential. A warm-up isn’t something you should do just because it’s something you have to do before you start practicing. It is something that has to be done in order to prepare your mind and body to the practicing period. 

Set a realistic goal

Always have a goal when you start practicing your instrument. You can’t really say that you have practiced effectively if you have played through all those pieces you already know by heart. With the goal in mind your progress will be much faster. If you have set a major goal, it is a good idea to divide it in some smaller objectives. Accomplishing the smaller objectives one by one will make you feel great and focused. 

Practice often and in small chunks 

We have all come to a difficult part we have to practice. It would be easy to avoid practicing it, but that simply isn’t good. In case you come to such situation, and you definitely will, it would be much better and more effective to practice it more often and in small chunks. By doing this we will become better at it day by day.

What we want to achieve here is to practice smarter. If we even find the strength to practice longer without thinking about the actual problem, we will be wasting time. Therefore, we need to set some smaller goals and be realistic. By doing this we will learn those difficult parts slowly but easily.

When you identify the problem it would be easier to overcome it

Never play the problematic piece over and over again without thinking about where the problem is. Identify the problem, and slowly work on it. See what you are doing wrong and find a way to fix it. 

Different problems ask for different solutions. If the problem is in the rhythm, try practicing the rhythm alone or use a metronome to help you not to think about the notes. After you master the rhythm, you will see that it will be much easier when you introduce the notes again. 

Playing the notes doesn’t make you a musician

When you choose to play an instrument it is good to understand it, to learn something about its history and why the music of that period is written in a certain way. In case you are singing in a foreign language, try to understand the song and find its true meaning. Try to find time and listen some of the great musician and try to find out what makes them so great. 

Another great thing you can do to be more efficient while practicing your instrument is to visualize yourself. You can choose whether you want to visualize yourself playing your instrument in your room or in front f thousands of people in Carnegie Hall, it really doesn’t matter, but it will definitely make a difference to your physical and mental performance. You don’t need your instrument at this point, simply take your music with you and go through it in your mind. 

Why not write on your scores?

Feel free to write and take notes on your scores. Make a copy of your scores and write down anything which will make you interpret the music easier next time. In case you miss something once, it’s not important. But if you miss it for the second time, then you should write it in no matter whether it is a key change, correct fingering or something else. It will make you aware of the mistake and you will overcome it much easier.

Record or film yourself

A good thing which will make your practice more effective is to record yourself. By doing this you can always go back and listen to your playing, and maybe notice a mistake or simply decide what you should do differently the next time. This is good if you record audio only, but you can also consider filming your practice and watching the recording later may reveal something important which will improve your practice. 

At this point it isn't important whether you have just started practicing an instrument or you have been doing it for some time now. Learning to play an instrument requires much more than just grabbing the instrument and trying it from time to time. We all know it's difficult to stay focused, but remember that you are learning to do something wonderful and something you love. Then, everything will become much easier and you will know how to make your practice more effective.

James Longman is the man behind Audio Reputation. He loves to share his passion for audio equipment. The things he likes the most are testing, comparing, and evaluating all kinds of audio devices.