First, always know exactly what you need to practice and why you need to practice it.
If you practice the piano for hours and make no progress, this is the most annoying thing. We must therefore know clearly what the difficulties we face and what the causes are, and find the right way to overcome them.
In order to practice effectively, we need to understand the basic principles of violin playing and be able to apply them in different ways to find the practice method that best suits our specific situation.
The first thing to consider are the tasks I'm going to accomplish while practicing today: taking three minutes to think before I start practicing is much more valuable than repeating it for three hours without aim, because the latter only deepens bad habits.
Second, it is necessary to arrange the practice time according to their own specific conditions.
Time for practicing the various different contents should be allocated in advance, depending of course on the current task and how much time to practice. In short, there should be a practice plan for the day, this week, or even longer.
The scope of the exercise is roughly the following five aspects:
1. Learn new content (new repertoire and techniques).
2. Practice a specific skill (such as string kneading or jumping bow).
3. Maintain and consolidate the mastered repertoire and techniques.
4. Prepare repertoire for concerts, competitions or exams.
5. Review old tracks in a new way of music treatment.
These five aspects can be practiced in combination or crossed with each other, but usually one of these aspects is the main one.
When making a practice plan, you must also consider your own specific situation. For example: You might be:
1. Still studying in school, the schedule is limited by the school curriculum.
2. Studying in school, but also doing some work in your spare time.
3. As an amateur, you can only spend a limited amount of time practicing.
4, is already a very busy professional player.
5) Very few people who have a lot of time to practice (such as being on vacation or just because they are lucky).
In either case, how much time does each person need to practice? In general, when we learn a piece of music, as long as we can express the music without technical obstacles, it is enough, and we don't need to practice more. Because overcoming technical obstacles is the best remedy for eliminating fear on stage. It is not advisable to practice for eight hours a day without a purpose; It is much better to practice effectively for two or three hours than to practice for six hours without effect.
In addition, it is also an important part to know yourself. Be able to objectively analyze your own strengths and weaknesses in order to take appropriate practice measures. It is even more important to learn to listen to your own performance objectively.
Some people learn quickly and can memorize the music effortlessly, while others have to work hard to memorize things. But it may not be entirely a good thing to learn easily: some people learn quickly but can't keep what they learn very well, and some people have to put in a lot of labor for every bit of progress, but they learn very well and understand deeply.
Third, only by repeating the correct things many times, rather than repeating the bad habits of the wrong, can we achieve "practice makes perfect".
Sometimes we practice a phrase repeatedly, and after many trials, we finally pull it out, and then we feel "Ah! I finally learned it." However, it must be soberly realized that so far we have played it many times in the incorrect way, and only once in the right way.
Since it is practiced many times in the incorrect way, and the correct way is played only once, the incorrect way is very easy to reproduce.
That is why when we practice a phrase repeatedly, after we can play it correctly for the first time, we must continue to practice it repeatedly in the correct way until it becomes a subconscious habitual action and all traces of incorrectness can be removed.
Fourth, we must practice slowly as well as fast.
Slow exercise is necessary to get the mind to issue the correct command to the muscles to play a certain phrase and to check whether the muscles react and the results of the movements are correct. But fundamentally, when you play one piece of music at a slow pace, it becomes another piece. So the only way to really understand a piece of music and its problems is to play it at primary speed, even in the early days of learning it. The speed necessary to play a phrase, that is, the speed at which the action is played, is an essential part of the playing technique.
Therefore, in the early days of learning a piece, when choosing bows and fingerings, it is necessary to consider the factor of speed, otherwise these choices may not be practical. After consolidating these bows and fingerings through slow exercises, the individual phrases and the entire piece of music must be practiced at the original speed in order to learn the correct physiological movements and to enable the mind to issue commands at the right speed.
Using a combination of slow and fast exercises is a proven way to practice difficult phrases, so that you can practice key movements with the speed of playing and have time to think.
All playing movements are controlled by the mind, and the mind does not walk too much in front of or behind the left and right hand movements. If the mind's command is issued late, the hand will produce a panicked and sudden movement; This sudden playing motion can hinder a smooth, even, and loose quick play.
In the early days of practicing a piece at the original speed, it is impossible to pull it accurately, nor can it be done correctly in all aspects. But it is clear in our hearts that the temporary purpose of using this practice is to make us aware of the problems that are only exposed when using fast playing. Therefore, accurate pitch may temporarily become an important task for the second place. However, we must use slow exercises as soon as possible to correct these temporarily neglected things.
Fifth, do not only practice the left hand, but also pay the same attention to the bow of the right hand.
In playing stringed instruments, since the left hand is responsible for the level and melody of the sound, its role is very obvious and can be immediately detected. Therefore, it is natural for people to concentrate their practice time on the left hand. Most string players spend about ninety percent of their practice time on their left hand.
But the question of the bow of the right hand of the violin, as claimed by the French school of violin as the "soul of violin playing", should also be given equal attention and sufficient practice in order to make it more perfect in terms of music, technique and performance.
We are referring here not only to some of the basic techniques of bow movement, such as bow splitting, bow jumping, and string changing, but also to more nuanced elements of equal importance in bow art, although these elements are not as specific as they are, as obvious.
These factors include: how a note begins and ends depending on the style of the music and the characteristics of the music; According to the requirements of the phrase division, what nature of the bow change should be used; Variation in intensity at different levels; The initiation of the bow; Accent; Use different bow pressures, bow speeds, and pronunciation points to seek colors for a variety of different sounds; When playing short off-string notes, use different speeds at which the bow hairs make contact with the strings to produce sounds of different natures and styles; the speed and length of the bows, and their interrelationship with the movements of the left and left arms; The overall sound quality and most importantly is the expressive ability to carry the bow.
These aspects of bow handling techniques are the most difficult to practice because they are less specific and more aesthetic in nature. Since any improvement can be a gradual and qualitative change, it is not easy to be able to persist in practicing until there is a noticeable improvement; Have a clear concept in mind so that you can use it as a ruler to measure every progress that has been made.
There is no doubt that, judging from the final result, the bow handling technique largely determines the artistic level of a performer. It is the excellent bow handling techniques, though not obvious, that help the player achieve special, haunting effects.
Sixth, divide the difficulties and solve them one by one.
Each sentence is made up of many individual, different techniques, each with its own problems. Trying to solve all the problems at the same time will not be effective. If it is only mechanically repeated according to the score, and it is not played correctly, it will only make the shortcomings stronger.
Each phrase should be broken down into components of each technique, and the difficulties contained should be extracted and practiced separately. When each technique has been practiced separately, they are reassembled and practiced according to the way the score is played. This method of practicing is more productive and saves time.
This method should also be used to overcome the technical difficulties of the left hand. Divide the problematic phrase into several components (including pitch, handle change, finger connection, fluency, clarity of finger press, etc.), and then practice the problem in the phrase separately. Then practice the whole phrase in the way the sheet music is played.
7. Practice connecting the front and back of difficult phrases.
This is in addition to the sixth principle.
When we are able to master a difficult phrase individually, we must also be able to practice and play it in conjunction with the preceding and subsequent phrases.
The principle of practicing connecting difficult sentences with sentences before and after it applies not only to the technical aspect, but also to the musical content. For example, because of the use of a fuller kneading string, the pressure of the fingers used in the left hand increases, which affects the pitch (in most cases the sound becomes higher); Pronunciation is changed due to increased pressure on the bow; More body movements were also used. Usually when the feelings of playing become very exciting, the muscles also become tense.
Players should be familiar with this type of reaction when practicing on weekdays, rather than feeling this change for the first time on the stage of a musical performance, so that they will not be disturbed by unforeseen interference.
Eighth, you can't just practice the piano, but also practice the performance.
Although practicing itself is sometimes a pleasure, practicing is not the goal. It is only a means to enable us to play with perfect skill, full of expressions and excitement through practice. But when a person plays on the stage, both the inner and external movements of the player are very different from the usual practice.
First of all, the player is familiar with the environment in which he practices at home, but he is not so accustomed to the concert hall. When practicing at home, mistakes can be corrected, a sentence can be practiced repeatedly without worrying about what others think, and the audience must be satisfied when playing on stage. There is also the problem of memory, when practicing in a quiet piano room, everything may go very normally, but when performing, it may be disturbed by some unexpected situations; The different acoustics of the recital hall and our reaction to the habit of this different acoustics will also lead us to play a work that we are already familiar with in a way that we are not used to; Most importantly, when we perform, our hearts become very excited, and our muscles are much more tense than when we usually practice, which may completely change the playing movements we originally established in a relaxed environment.
Therefore, we must find a way to create these conditions for ourselves and set aside a certain amount of practice time to prepare for this.
Once we have pulled out a new work, although it is not fully pulled, we must play it from beginning to end using the speed required by the song, plus all the emoticon requirements. This allows us to know as early as possible what techniques are left and which musical performances need to be improved and practiced. In playing in this way, one should imagine yourself in a real concert hall, including going up and down the stage, thanking the audience and the applause of the band members, so that you can get used to the excitement and excitement that arises in the actual performance. Doing so will give us an idea of what technical adjustments we need to make in this physical and psychological situation and what we should pay attention to. As we said in the seventh principle earlier, when you practice the music in C minor in the first movement of the Brahms Concerto, it is one thing to practice it objectively and calmly, it is another to play it with all the emoticons and passions, and it is another completely different to play it in a hall full of listeners.
There is also the question of how to express yourself in the hall. This is related to the distance between the performer and the listener, in the hall, the distance between the player and the listener increases, and the contrast between the large space in the hall and the small instrument used by the player increases, both of which weaken the expressiveness and acoustic effects of the performance.
When a composer writes light or loud in his work, that's just what he wants to hear, it doesn't necessarily mean you have to play soft or loud. The expressions and force marks we use must be strengthened, even exaggerated, in order to adapt to the needs of the hall; Especially with the accompaniment of the orchestra, the transmission ability of the instrument should be enhanced by correct pronunciation methods, so that the sound can reach the farthest corner of the hall; The composition should also be handled in a manner that is appropriate to the size of the hall.
This necessary technical adjustment must be an integral part of the preparation of the performance and is also a basic playing technique, but whether the acoustics of the recital hall are 'dead' or 'alive', this change should not be excessive. It is also beneficial to practice often in an unaccustomed environment, preferably in a hall where you are actually playing, if possible. Familiarity with these technical and psychological requirements, no matter how unaccustomed the performance occasion is, can form a stable and reliable technical foundation, and this technical foundation is an indispensable prerequisite for the full expression of music.
Finally, put on the costume and practice. The costumes you wear during your performance may also add an unaccustomed and unfree element to your performance. Women who wear high heels to perform should also wear them to practice, because high heels will make your body tilt forward, changing your balance point and center of gravity. Men should wear suits and ties, instead of always practicing in shirts; The thickness of the suit collar and tie can make your piano grow by 1/3 inch, making each note a little farther away from you.
Nine, also do not use an instrument to practice the piano.
Just as we have to train our muscles in order to practice playing movements, we should also train our minds separately from what we actually play. The mind is our control center from beginning to end, and every movement we play is emitted from there.
The human mind has an astonishing ability to reproduce the past and to foreshadow all the actions that will take place in the future. This phenomenon also exists in musical performance. Playing a piece of work in the mind from beginning to end or a certain passage in it, including its rhythm, the movements of the left and right hands, musical performance, etc., will improve the control of our minds, and thus improve our actual performance. How good a program you install on your computer, how well it works.
This way of practicing is not only helpful for the technique of playing, but also for enhancing the memory of the score. Imagining the playing in your mind forces you to know every note thoroughly. Because you don't actually hear what notes you should play below, and there's no actual playing motion that reminds you of how you should play below. This means that all information about playing must be kept firmly in mind.
If you can play the piece in your head at the exact speed of the piece without any pause or hesitation, then you can say with great certainty that you have memorized the work with complete reliability. Otherwise, some weak points will be revealed; That is, at the critical moment of the performance, there will inevitably be some pauses.
I personally find this beneficial method of practicing purely by chance and forced by life. I lived in Paris at the beginning of World War II, waiting for a visa to the United States in a very difficult environment. I'm going to give a lot of concerts, but the house I live in has neither heating nor hot water. Winter is so cold that even during the day I have to hide in bed to make myself feel warmer. But I wanted to practice so much that I thought about the repertoire I was going to play. As a result, I found that I could play these pieces from beginning to end in my head without looking at the score. And I was able to practice and improve the difficult places without looking at the score, and later I was able to practice a new piece of music without using an instrument. When I officially perform these pieces, I can play them without any mistakes.
A few years later, the effectiveness of this method of practice, that is, the practical results that can be produced through some kind of mental activity, was confirmed by George Enescu. One day, we were driving out with Paul Rolland, a famous American violin professor and author of the book On the Movement of the Violin, and Enescu took a pencil from his pocket, used it as a fingerboard for the violin, and practiced his left finger on it. I watched him continue practicing like this, and then he suddenly stopped and said, "Ah! This place is out of tune."
This method of silently practicing in the mind is also useful for choosing bows and fingerings when starting to learn a new piece of music. For those who are experienced, the bow and fingering determined in this way require little change in the actual performance.
When a person is physically tired or sick, it is also very effective to practice in the head, and it can only be practiced in travel performances or backstage at concerts.
To practice in the mind, you must have an inner sense of hearing. Every musician must develop an inner sense of hearing, and it is even more essential for those who play instruments without a fixed pitch. (This is true for singers, conductors, composers, etc.) )
Don't ignore the "easy" parts, which often cause you trouble when performing!
Most musical works contain many sentences that look like there will be no difficulties. Therefore, people often completely ignore the practice of these phrases when practicing.
Of course, we don't need to spend too much practice time on these phrases. But if you don't pay some attention to these easy parts, then these "easy" parts are some blank spots in your mind. At the time of the show, these blank spots may be as strange as if you've never seen them before.
These unfamiliar places can cause temporary pauses during performances. You think, "Is this the right thing to do?", "Which finger do I play this note with?", "Am I changing the handle here or at the back?", and many pieces that could have been played well have failed because of the failure of these places. (This temporary psychological hesitation can occur at any time, but it often happens before the end of the piece.) )