We’ve all been here: you muster up some energy, get settled in your practice space, pick up your fiddle and… now what? Sometimes knowing what to work on is the hardest part of practicing. But it doesn’t have to be. Here’s how you can use Fiddle School to structure the3 Essential Components of Practice:
- Warm Up
Mental and physical warm-ups are key to set the right tone for your practice. You’ll have more clarity and ease when you warm up thoroughly at the beginning of each practice session. With Fiddle School, the exercises you need for your warm-ups are right at your fingertips—no decision-making required. First, watch three to five Practice Buddiesto refresh new concepts, and then pick up your fiddle and play along with Katie in a Practice Pal, Fiddle School’s signature guided warm-ups. By the end of your warm up, both your head and your hands will be ready to take on the next section of your practice.
- Learn New Material
The best time to tackle new tunes is at the beginning of your practice, when your mind is fresh. Work on new tunes in three phases:
- Learn new notes: do this daily as you memorize new phrases and parts from the Learning videos.
- Review new notes: slowly go over what you’ve learned that week to cement it in your memory.
- Play along with accompaniment: play your new tunes along with Fiddle School’s slow play-along tracks.
- Review Older Material
Review is just as important as learning new tunes, if not more! Each practice, revisit two or three tunes you’ve already learned and play them along with Fiddle School’s slow and fast accompaniment tracks multiple times so you feel confident throughout the whole tune. If you find a tripping point, figure out the cause and work through it. Remember to employ the good techniques from your warm-ups throughout your whole practice. It’s often easy to slip into old habits when you play familiar tunes, so stay vigilant!
Practice like this and you’ll get more done than you ever have before. Sounds good, doesn’t it? And the best part is, all the tools you need to practice this way are built right into the Fiddle School method. All you have to do is pick up your fiddle and play.
If you want a personalized practice planto guide you through how to integrate Fiddle School with your private lessons, jamming, playing in a band, and the rest of your musical life, you can schedule time with Fiddle School’s online teacher Celeste J to make a plan customized just for you. Boost your productivity, get clear on how to practice, and eliminate obstacles in a one-on-one private lesson. Click here to try it out. Sometimes the hardest part is getting started, but it shouldn’t be—take the uncertainty out of practicing and you’ll be amazed how fast you’ll progress.