Until The Practice of Practice, there hasn’t been a book on practice written for musicians who aren’t interested in the school musics (band, choir, and orchestra). The good news is that this book is also valuable for those folks, too. It’s useful whether you’re into Bach, Rock, or any other kind of music.
Tag: how to practice music
Plays Well With Others: Why Practice Alone?
One of the many things I discovered while doing research for The Practice of Practice is that music practice can be a lot more than just sitting alone in a room working on technique. That part is important, but it’s hardly everything. One of the most in-the-shed, hard-practicing musicians to ever play is John Coltrane. Check out him practicing with a drummer below, and the same tune with a full band (including Miles)…
Playing With Yourself: Practice Gadgets
I’m always looking for examples of musicians doing cool things with loops; people like Andrew Bird. A friend turned me on to this video by Mike Love that’s one of the best examples I’ve come across. Especially impressive is the looping that starts around 4:20.
Nicholas Barron: Performance As Practice
Chicago singer-songwriter Nicholas Barron is another musician who told me, "I never practice." What he meant was that he didn't do conventional kinds of practice, the kind required by classical and band music. Check out how he got so good….
12 Rules of Music Practice (Wynton Marsalis)
Here are 12 practice suggestions from Master Marsalis. Each one could be the subject of a book on its own. After the vids, I’ve added suggestions to consider below each of Wynton’s rules. Some will be covered more thoroughly in the book, “The Practice of Practice.”
Cover Design for “The Practice of Practice”
Practice safe design: Use a concept.
~ Petrula Vrontikis
Well, after a good deal of thought and a couple years of writing on this book, the cover design is finally in.
The Practice of Practice 