EFFICIENT PRACTICE
Change is necessary for progress
Clarity of intention – planning - review
Structure to include breaks – semi-supine? – Plan to get a lot done in a short time
To change a habit - prioritise primary control then particularise direction to the change
Use the Ready List
Notice your eyes
Balance – feet – sitting bones - head
Breathing – nose? - abdominal wall – inter-costal muscles - throat
Use a mirror and video recording to check your feelings
Notice your inner emotional space
Be aware of your kinaesthetic sense - check it is accurate
Can you do less? Don’t try harder – try easier…
Lively attentiveness is different to focussed energy
Be aware of your environment
What is the relationship between practice and performance?
Use imagination to practice playing brilliantly (direction)
Imagine performing – use all your senses – vision, smell/taste, touch, hearing (playing and other noises) and kinaesthesia
Practice with a friend. State your intention, friend listens and watches then asks a question, you answer/discuss the question then the friend suggests next intention, play again, discuss the outcome. Swap over.
There is, of course, a chapter in ‘Alexander Technique for Musicians’
Pedro de Alcantara has written a chapter in his book, ‘Indirect Procedures’ on efficient practice.