Why This Technique Jumps Your Playing up to the Next Level

Want to jump your playing up to the next level? Here's a simple but profound reason for practicing pieces that you already know. This video is part 2. Watch part 1 here.

TRANSCRIPT:

Do you remember that video I recorded for you about repeating your flute pieces or your scale or a passage so many times that your fingers play it more times right than wrong?

The purpose of this technique is so that you can get the piece or scale to work in a concert or under pressure in say, a flute lesson.

Well, I had somebody email me after that video came out and they asked a question. They said, "If I keep learning new pieces, I'm not going to have time to keep playing all these pieces on repeat that I've learned!"

Fair question!

It led me to think about it and I had an epiphany that I want to share with you...

Now, the reason for working like this where you're playing something on the flute - a piece, a scale - more times right than wrong.

The purpose is actually not to get it to work under pressure. That's just a byproduct.

The real reason you're practicing the flute like this is this... When you can play a piece automatically or a scale with no mistakes, and with ease - it sets this level as a foundational level for you.

It sets this as the new norm and when you're there, then you can learn another piece, a harder scale, a faster scale. Do the same thing with that -repeat it correctly.

Then you set the new normal for your brain and your fingers. This becomes your new foundation level.

It gives you this standard that is your norm to be able to springboard off that to the next level by working in the same way. By working on a piece, carefully playing it more times right than wrong.

This is good news!

If you haven't been working this way with yourself, if you are your own teacher, or with your students, if you are a teacher, consider doing this.

When you repeat pieces that they know - it is not a waste of time. It's consolidating a level which you're making the norm and making things so easy that you can do it by habit and then taking it to the next level.