Plan, Practice, Perform (2/3)
by Charles Noble
In my previous post, I talked about the need to prepare in advance for periods of intense musical activity. Keeping a detailed calendar of what is coming up is one of my primary strategies for dealing with the ebb and flow of the gigging lifestyle, for both freelance players and full-time ensemble members. Whether I have a big open block in my schedule or time is scarce, scheduling practice sessions as calendar appointments will help keep me accountable. Otherwise, I’ll fill it with other things: grocery shopping, laundry, binge-watching Netflix shows, or whatever. Depending upon my mood, practicing may be near the top or bottom of that list. The best way to keep practicing on the agenda is to actually put it on the agenda!
The next step is actually learning the music that you’ve worked so hard to schedule.
Be realistic about your available time and when you’re most inclined to practice well. For example, I rarely practice for more than an hour at a time. My working method is very intense and focused, and I have learned over the years that I cannot sustain this level of concentration for much longer than an hour. For me, having a couple of one hour blocks of time set aside is much more useful than a single three hour block. I also work best in the afternoon and early evening, so I try to plan practice sessions for those hours.
Having a distinct and organized workspace is also important. If, like me, you can’t dedicate a whole room solely to practicing, you can still designate practice space. I make sure that a corner of my living room always has my music stand, a good light, a place for my instrument and case to rest, and a spot for a pile of music. When I’m in that corner, I’m there for work. Not TV, not reading, not checking texts or emails. And on the subject of phones, I mute mine and put it face down - except when I’m using some helpful tuner or metronome apps. I recommend (for iPhone) Tempo, a metronome app, and Tunable, my all-time favorite tuning app. Both have a great balance between flexibility, features, and ease of use.
You’ve got your practice session scheduled. Your working space is set up. Now it’s actually time to put the rubber to the road. What’s the first step? Two words: score study. It doesn’t matter if you’re playing solo Bach, a string quartet, or a Mahler symphony. Knowing how your piece of music is put together is your first job. This knowledge will save you tons of time in your preparation. My first step is grabbing a pencil, opening the music, and reading through it without my viola. I look for the following (not an exhaustive list, but a good place to start):
Basic tempo and major tempo changes
Meter and meter changes
Key changes
Solo or section solo passages (in chamber and orchestral pieces)
Instrumental cues (in chamber and orchestral pieces)
Extended techniques required
What other parts am I interacting with (unisons, leading, accompanying)
My next step is listening to recordings. With the availability of YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music, there is almost nothing that you cannot find a decent quality recording of online; though it can sometimes involve some clever searching, especially in the case of new music. In the absence of adequate rehearsal time, careful listening in advance can help one be more aware of the overall form and harmonic language of the piece, and where the exposed section solos can be found.
In my next post: performing at your best.
Charles Noble is the Assistant Principal Violist for the Oregon Symphony and a blogger for Behind the Bridge.
