The Last Shall Be First....A Better Way to Practice

The Last Shall Be First....A Better Way to Practice

Here is a great tip that was given to me by Anthony Glise, many years ago. Practice a piece that you want to memorize quickly by working on it from the end of the piece to the beginning. This is how it works.

Start by practicing the last measure first. Take the time to perfect it. Work on it till you can play it comfortable and without the music. Next take the measure before it and repeat the process. Add it to the last measure and work on the two measures until they are perfected. Then take the 3^rd to the last measure and work on it. Add it to the second to the last measure and perfect them. Continue the process until you get to the beginning of the piece. When you have completed this process play through the piece from the beginning. Repeat this process. You will be amazed at how quickly you learn and memorize a piece. As you perfect this process you will begin to absorb music.

One of the benefits of learning pieces this way is that as you perform the piece you get better and more confident as progress through the piece. 

Check out Anthony Glise at anthonyglise.com

-Adrian Yañez

If You Can't Sing It To Me....

If you are fortunate enough in your life to hit a brick wall, count yourself blessed. Musically, for me, that came when I was sent by a noted guitarist/professor to another teacher to rebuild me as a musician. I had completed my undergraduate degree in music, having even played a senior recital. To this point my musical education had been pieced together with what I could find along the way and was held together by the bailing wire of pride and bravado.

The process began with this new teacher, informing me tht I was going to start over. He set me to the task of rhythmic training, tapping out rhythms and singing beats and rhythms. He then introduced me to Paul Hindemuth's “Elementary Training for Musicians. My teacher then told me, “If you can't sing it to me, You can't play it for me.” This was the brick wall that I ran into.

Being able to sing what I play has shown me that every musical instrument is an imitation of our first instrument, the voice. As I learned to sing what I play I was able to discover how a piece is played musically. Singing will show you where the music should breathe, as if you are singing it. This goes a long way to making your performances more musical.

It is also a good way to improve your singing. When practicing scales and arpeggios sing them while you play them on your instrument. This will help you to interiorize the music and the music will come from inside you. You won't be waiting on your fingers to tell you what you are playing. It will increase your focus on the music and will eventually shorten the distance from your heart and mind to your fingers.

-Adrian Yanez