As my teenage contemporaries redecorated random homes with vast strands of bathroom tissue, I was cloistered away fervently practicing my violin five hours each day. My mother never once had to remind me to practice.

Musicians advocate that practice is of utmost importance in the development of any player. Jascha Heifetz, possibly the 20th Century’s most amazing violinist, said, If I don’t practice one day, I know it; two days, the critics know it; three days, the public knows it.

For something that is so crucial to musicians, it is surprising that so many players resist it. Telling a child to practice can be like asking him/her to eat brussels sprouts or to clean his/her room. As a violin teacher, I deal with the dreaded P word every week. (This also applies to adults!)

What’s so terrible about practicing?

Priorities: The common complaint is I don’t have any time to practice. Really, in the end it’s not a matter of having a full plate. The amazing players who practice every day are not working with 28-hours a day. Students who practice regularly have simply made practicing a priority. These dedicated individuals enjoy practicing and its benefits so much that they sacrifice other activities to make time for their playing.

This doesn’t mean you have to give your right arm as an offering to the merciless practice gods. You may get a bit less time on the tv or computer, or maybe you have to ignore the ringing phone until you’re done. A nip and tuck here and there can add up to a lot of previously unavailable time.

Be Inspired: The key to enjoyable practicing is inspiration. For example, when a musician feels inspired by a favourite song or role model s/he is compelled to practice. Inspiration frequently emerges while attending a live concert and meeting a famous musician. Just ask anyone who’s seen a famous musician play live in concert.

Perhaps the materials you’re working with are too dry for your tastes? Maybe you’re not being challenged enough? Discuss any inspirations or lack thereof with your teacher or another musician to get you back on track.

Set Goals: Many players also thrive on setting and meeting goals, such as to play with an advanced group, to learn a challenging piece, or to perform well in festival or an upcoming concert. My best music making has come from feeling inspired and by achieving personal aspirations.

Each summer I ask my students to set goals for the following fall and also for 1 year, 5 year and 10-year. Their responses are impressive; more than half aspire to teach violin someday and most others just want to be more confident players and to play for pay!

Check-Points: My job as teacher is to help the students make their goals a reality. We create appropriate time-lines for the goals, including check-points to make sure the players’ actions are aligned with their end goal.

For example, if a student’s goal is to master a concerto, we make sure they’ve have outlined the steps to learning the piece along with the technique and skills required required. I’ll practice these exercizes for two months, and by December I will be starting on 5th position.

Sometimes this practice involves excercizes, scales and theory, but other times it’s as simple as completing a book or gaining more confidence through public performance. By setting up check-points at comfortable intervals to make sure you are on the right track and to make the overall goal seem less daunting.

And besides, life is a journey, not a destination. Enjoy the journey to meeting your goal and once you get there you’ll have plenty more road ahead to explore.

Goals Can Change: I’ve always got a list of short to long-term goals for myself, ranging from one-week, one-month, six-month, and 1, 2, 5, 10-year goals. Sometimes the goals change, which is okay because I am constantly learning and growing. What was important to me 10 years ago may not be a big deal to me now. The important thing

Incentives: Everything we work for has reward. Just as brussels sprouts contribute to physical health, practice contributes to better musicianship. However, musicianship just isn’t tangible to 5-year-olds.

Thus, teachers and parents are prompted to offer fun incentives for practice. Kids are rewarded with stickers, ice cream coupons and other treats. My students can earnFiddlebucks for their practicing, which can be used to purchase trinkets and toys.

These programs work for most children, but even stickers can become pass? after a while. Children should be encouraged to aspire to higher goals, thus setting higher rewards. As my students progress, they curb their spending to save Fiddlebucks for long-term rewards, like lunch with the teacher, which takes over a year to earn.

How to Practice: Though students understand the benefits and rewards of practice, many do not know exactly *how* to practice. Each teacher has particular requirements and expectations, but generally my start/focus/playtime routine works best.

Start: The student stretches and warms-up with long, clear tones, then scales and arpeggios, and finally a warm-up piece or exercise.

Focus: Here the student works on new and challenging pieces, paying close attention to detail and correcting mistakes but also focusing on his/her strengths. Focus allows the player to make improvements and build confidence simultaneously.

Playtime: Saving the best for last, Playtime is when the student reviews favourite songs and has some fun. Tasks such as playing with the radio (ear training in disguise), recording yourself, composition and improvising are all enjoyable assignments that can motivate a player.

Homework: Sometimes I assign violin homework to students of all ages. The assignments vary from draw a picture of your violin, to play a concert for your family andwrite a report about your favourite or a famous violinist. Interestingly all the children love these special assignments and become increasingly inspired and motivated to practice.

For example, one of my students e-mailed Natalie MacMaster for an essay project and was encouraged by Natalie, herself, to play the fiddle each day. The Cape Breton Canadian fiddler said, it really does make things better.

Consistency: I don’t know how many times I’ve heard, I meant to practice, but it slipped my mind. Consistency is the most important step to enjoying successful practice. The truth is that practice is best done and easiest when done consistently. The more we practice, the more we are inspired to practice.

Have a hard time with consistency? I’m sure you still manage to eat and sleep every day, so you’ll find a way to get the practice in if it works around one of those schedules! Play just after waking or right before bedtime. Eat your lunch halfway between your warm-up and pieces. When you make it a routine it’s harder to leave out of your day and you’ll actually get it done! No more guilty lessons!

Sometimes it’s not possible to play every day, but it does make a tremendous difference. For players just starting a consistent routine it’s best to do two shorter practices rather than one long one. Going at it full steam can tire a player out and make them less inclined to want to do it again. You’ll be left with more energy after a couple of shorter practices and will gradually lengthen them.

Family Support: It is of utmost importance that parents or spouses of aspiring musicians provide encouragement for the player. Never poke fun at sour notes or say things like, if you don’t practice we’ll take away your lessons. Through thick and thin the family’s job is to support the player as they master their art.

Other Perks: For students who still find it difficult to keep a practice routine I suggest they opt out of washing dinner dishes and serenade the dishwashers each night. It’s amazing how quickly they jump to it when they know there is no more dishwashing! There are countless other perks (excuses to get out of work) to practice that can be sorted out with your family.

I spent my formative years either grounded or due for a grounding due to the occasional landscaping mummification. However, in the 542 times I was grounded, my kind mother never took away my violin. I could be heard playing my violin sadly from my bedroom prison cell: Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen.

And I loved it.

**Rhiannon Schmitt (nee Nachbaur) is a professional violinist and music teacher who has enjoyed creative writing for years.

She currently writes columns for two Canadian publications and has been featured in Australia’s Music Teacher Magazine. Writing allows her to teach people that the world of music is as fun as you spin it to be!

Rhiannon, age 29, has worn the hats of businesswoman, performer, events promoter, classical music radio host and school orchestra music arranger in rural British Columbia, Canada.

Her business, Fiddleheads Violin School & Shop, has won several distinguished young entrepreneur business awards for her commitment to excellence. Her shop offers beginner to professional level instruments, accessories and supplies for very reasonable prices: Visit http://www.fiddleheads.ca

Rhiannon is also Founding President of the Shuswap Violin Society which promotes violin & fiddle music and helps young musicians in need: http://www.violinsociety.ca

Is it really possible to conquer the guitar fretboard? Do you find the notes you want to find? Is tabulature cheating? Let me invite you to the guitar fretboard!

I suggest that you right now start to take command over your guitar. Usually when you are playing your first guitar sheet music melodies you will have to learn the notes in the first position on the guitar. To have a good grasp of these notes on the guitar I suggest that you learn them slowly and with concentration.

I usually begin by teaching the notes on the first string like E on open string, F on fret 1 and G on fret 3. On string two you?ll find B on open string, C on fret 1 and D on fret 3. With these notes you can play the song Mary Had A Little Lamb.

Using the previous notes the melody can be played as follows:

E D C D E E E D D D E G G E D C D E E E E D D E D C

I hope you recognized the melody. This kind of music notation doesn?t give any hints as to how the rhythm is to be played but you already know the melody, right!

Is using tablature cheating? My father taught me some interesting things about learning to read guitar sheet music.

My dad was the only guitar tutor in the town where I lived and he taught mostly classical guitar pieces. His young students, I was one of them, learned those first guitar pieces very rapidly because he used a system similar to tablature showing the frets and strings to play, along with the sheet music. Tablature wasn?t common back then. I remember somebody remarking that his system prevented the children from learning to sight read sheet music.

His reply was that if somebody really wants to learn the notes they will anyway!

I agree with that and I have found that if a pupil is not motivated learning guitar sheet music they will not advance in this area whether they play with or without tablature.

Do you think your fingers has anything to do with guitar playing? I guess you’ll answer yes!

A more important question is if the fingers you choose to use can have a bearing upon your guitar playing. Left hand fingering means which finger you use when playing a specific note.

Usually when playing the first pieces on the guitar on the first frets one plays the notes on the first fret with the index finger, notes on the second fret with the middle finger, notes on the third fret with the ring finger and notes on the fourth fret with your little finger.

Why mess up everything with this fingering stuff? Isn’t it possible to play every melody with your left index finger and forget about fingerings?

Well, of course you can play melodies with your index finger but your progress will be very limited beyond just playing easy melodies.

Besides you?ll have to move your hand all the time as you change frets and, most importantly when reading sheet music, you?ll have to look at the guitar fretboard all the time instead of looking at the sheet music.

The important thing when learning to play the notes on the guitar is to make a conscious effort to learn the notes and not to work on too many notes at the same time.

Peter Edvinsson is a musician, composer and music teacher. Visit his site Capotasto Music and download your free sheet music and learn to play resources at http://www.capotastomusic.com.

Are you passionate about playing your guitar? Do you find yourself eager to learn new things? Do you get excited when you hear a great guitar lead or a beautiful fingerstyle guitar solo? The degree of passion you have for the guitar will usually become evident by examining the level of commitment you have to practice!

I remember listening to an interview with John Mayer not too long ago. He was talking about his love for the guitar and how motivated he had been to learn everything he could about the instrument as a teenager. The first thing John would do when he got home from school was take out his guitar and start playing. He wasn’t too concerned about sports or hangin out with his friends because he was so totally absorbed in his music. He loved the guitar and that was all he wanted to do! When he finished high school he enrolled in the Berklee School of Music to further his education and hone his craft. His dedication certainly payed off, giving music fans a wonderfully gifted guitar player and songwriter. I just love the energy and entusiasm John puts into his performances. He really inspires me.

What inspires you to learn how to play the guitar? Finding the answer to this question may be just the motivational boost you need to reach your goals and persevere through difficulties. Guitar teachers, programs and books can give you advice about correct technique and so forth, but personal motivation can only come from within you.

Here are some ideas to help you develop your passion for playing the guitar…

• Write down three things that you would like to achieve on the guitar. Be as specific as possible. An example might be something like: I want to be able to sing and play the guitar at the same time.

• Next to each of your three desires, write down how you will know when you have achieved them. For example: I will know I have reached this goal when I can . (fill in the blank.)

• Write down why you want to accomplish these things. Such as: it will give me a feeling of accomplishment.

• Consider what action steps you will need to take in order to reach your desired outcome. Write these steps down on a piece of paper and keep them with your guitar. Be sure to make a note of any helpful resources you might need to achieve your objectives (such as guitar lesson books, CDs, etc.)

• Put your three goals some place where you can read them every day. Then find an encouraging person who is willing to help you keep focused and stay the course. This person can be another musician, friend, sibling, parent or teacher; it doesn’t really matter. The important thing is that they help you to stick to the decisions you’ve made and check on you’re progress from time to time.

Identify your passion. What motivates you will be the key to your success!

FREE Reprint Rights – You may publish this article in your e-zine or on your web site as long as you include the following information:

Kathy Unruh is a singer/songwriter and webmaster of ABC Learn Guitar. She has been writing songs and providing guitar lessons to students of all ages for over 20 years. For free guitar lessons, plus tips and resources on songwriting, recording and creating a music career, please visit: abclearnguitar.com

I’m not going to kid you; playing Jazz Guitar is extremely difficult at best and almost downright impossible at worst. However there are things you can do to improve your improvisation skills and feeling and we’ll discuss them throughout this multi part series so look for additional parts in the near future.

Practice

What can I say about practice? Just do it and do it often! Do it everyday. When you think you have done enough do it again.

I am not just talking about picking up the guitar and playing a few songs I am talking about real practicing for the environment that you will eventually be playing in which is, of course, in an ensemble with other musicians who we hope will always be better than you.

Here are the basics…

When practicing always use a metronome!

If I didn’t make that part clear perhaps this may help: ALWAYS USE A METRONOME!

If you feel that you don’t need a metronome stop reading this article, stop practicing and go get some ice cream because you will get the same or even better results and you certainly will enjoy yourself a whole lot more in the process if you do. If you are committed read on.

Still with me?

When using your metronome try to feel your timing on different clicks. For instance for a swing feel have your metronome click on beats 2 and 4 rather than 1 and 3. This will give you an instant swing feel and also take away that nasty crutch so you are forced to know where beat 1 really is.

We never, ever, want to rely on our drummer, who may be in the middle of a complex experimental improvisation just when you need him/her the most, to tell us where beat 1 is. How many times have you been in that situation?

Sound simple? It is!

Sound easy? Try it for a month and you let me know how it goes.

Let’s delve into this a little. When practicing using this technique of displacing metronome clicks for beats try these: practice a 3/4 tune using the metronome clicking once per measure and only on beat 2. Then switch to only on beats 3. See how the feeling changes. Practice it, learn it, feel it and then you can start to own it.

If you want to get fancy place the metronome to click every fifth beat while you play a tune in 3. This will shift the accents and feeling from bar to bar and will also allow your brain to break free from it’s learned behavior which is designed to make you not want to think.

What did you say?

That’s right! More times than not the human brain is your biggest enemy. It always seeks comfort and practicing in the fashion described above is not at all comfortable for your brain. In these cases I recommend telling your brain what my son often likes to say, To bad…, so sad!

We as musicians need to experience and comprehend the natural tendencies of the brain’s normal behavior so we can learn to truly challenge ourselves to open up our minds to the gargantuan creative possibilities that await us when we do. This doesn’t happen by accident nor does it happen by itself nor will it come easy. It takes an extreme effort on our parts.

Whether you have your instrument with you or not you can practice your timing. If you get a small battery operated metronome, which I recommend, you can bring it with you when you are driving back and forth to work. Practice the above examples in your car while singing. Don’t worry if you can’t sing you are trying to own these feelings and if you can’t articulate these feelings with your voice you will never truly own them.

I have outlined several examples for displacement of beats. The idea is simple enough so that you can come up with more deviations on your own and you should keep changing them when you practice.

The point here is that true understanding and your eventual ownership of various beats and feelings associated with them do not reside strictly inside those beats and feelings. By looking only inside the beats you are shutting off all creative thinking that is necessary to truly exploit their full potential.

Real understanding resides outside and you must find out what that means. To truly find it you must force yourself and be willing to look everywhere else but the beats themselves. This simple metronome technique will get you started and point you on your journey to achieving that goal. Don’t limit yourself to applying this technique only to timing but that statement is for another part of this series.

Have fun, practice and always play your heart out!

John Belthoff is a Professional Audio Engineer and an Avid Web Developer who plays and also teaches Jazz Guitar in his spare time. His latest projects include the Internet Production Guide and he owns a small Asp Hosting Company. You can contact him at his personal web site Studio JB.