Deliberate Practice, or How to Become a Virtuoso

Deliberate Practice, or How to Become a Virtuoso

 

I recently finished reading Peak by Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool. Here are a few takeaways:

First of all, there are no obvious shortcuts. Becoming an expert performer in any field requires a lot of work and years of daily practice. But there is a difference in practice styles, and that can make all of the difference in how far you can go in your field.

Many of us think of practice as the repetition of something until we can do it automatically. As we repeat our action, the thinking goes, our performance improves. This is only partially true. The old saying about practice and perfection is true only if your practice is perfect. I tell my students that "practice makes permanent." (Thank you, Mr. Monson.) If you practice with your shoulders tense and your fingers curled into unnatural positions, that is what your body will do when you play. If, in your practice, you often hit a note that is not in the score, and you do not work to fix that, then you will have a wrong note as a permanent part of your repertoire. Repetition alone leads to automaticity, not improvement.

Focus may be the most important aspect of deliberate practice. Choose a detail to focus on, and work to improve that detail. Do you want to play a lovely legato, or buttery runs in your favorite piece? Would you rather perfect the voicing or the slurs in your current endeavor? Choose one and work on that. The other will follow later. Work on one aspect of a piece or one small skill at a time, so that you can focus on it well.

Last but not least, get feedback. Start by recording yourself at practice and listening critically. What do you notice that was not clear as you were playing? Then play your piece for someone else--a teacher to start with, as they will have very specific suggestions. Try what they suggest, and record yourself again. Do you hear the difference?

I am trying to implement these habits into my own practice. I try to be very mindful of what I am doing while I practice, as I want to minimize bad habits. I have found that I simply love isolating one small thing and working it until it feels and sounds elegant and natural. It is wonderful to get to that point where the section I was practicing falls into place. So far, the hardest habit for me to implement is recording. I just don't want to press that button. But I am getting better about it. PT will be very glad to hear that!