The Tinturin
 Music Studio

When students make a mistake in their practicing, they most often try the same spot or phrase again and make the same mistake again and again.  Then they get frustrated and don’t know why they can’t correct it.

They are missing one important step: analyzing the problem.  They often don’t realize what caused the error, or even exactly what it was that they missed.  It could be an incorrect fingering, resulting in a wrong hand position, resulting in wrong notes.  Or they may have neglected to count, or may be counting incorrectly, resulting in a wrong rhythm.  The problem could lie in the often neglected key signature, or in mis-coordination of the hands.

Sometimes students do not think ahead enough, or they may be thinking too far ahead and missing something that precedes the spot in question.  And more often than not, they are going too fast to be able to consider all the details at once.

Whatever the problem, it won’t correct itself without careful analysis.  This requires slowing down the tempo and practicing hands separately, to isolate and identify the real issue.  Don’t rely on your fingers to correct the mistakes.  The hardest part of the work is in the thinking, not just the finger action.

To correct your mistakes, you must correct your thinking. Be an inquisitive learner and search to locate, isolate, and identify the error.  Once found, it must be corrected by changing something in the approach.  Then, you know what comes next: repetitions.  After having isolated and corrected the mistake, do many repetitions with hands separate and hands together, making sure the problem stays corrected with each repetition of the passage.  In this manner, you will make the most successful and efficient use of your practice time.