Practicing in Two Dimensions

There are always two things you can change about the music you are practicing: how much of the song you are playing at one time, and how quickly you are playing it.

Play less

If what you are doing feels difficult, try taking away a few notes and see if playing it becomes easier. If it does, try gradually adding back the notes you took away until you are playing them again.

I often use this technique with my students to "trick" their brain into playing the song properly. It can be a very fast and effective way to clear out any unnecessary stops or gaps in playing.

Play slower

Sometimes it is necessary to play slower. You can do this in two ways: by either slowing down the tempo of the song, so everything is slower (but your rhythm is still correct), or playing at the same tempo and introducing gaps into your playing (changing the rhythm). I find adding these fake gaps can really help when you're close to being able to play something, but you're not quite there yet.

Use the gaps to learn to relax your hands more and make your playing more efficient, and then slowly get rid of the gaps again as you learn to play with smaller, easier movements.

Playing everything slower is an especially good idea when a song is new and unfamiliar, or when you're just trying to make sure the rhythm is correct. Slow everything down until you know your rhythm is correct, then gradually add the speed back until you're up to tempo.

Adding gaps or slowing everything down: which to use?

As a general rule, I add gaps when I'm not relaxed enough to make one particular movement (if I notice, for example, that one part of what I'm working on is really difficult).I slow everything down when I need more work on the rhythm or if what I'm playing just seems difficult everywhere.

Mix and match

Experiment with playing less, or playing more slowly (by adding gaps or changing the tempo) in your own practice. Most students play too much and too fast, and miss opportunities to learn to relax more and develop a greater awareness for their playing.

You are in control of how fast and how much you play. Use this knowledge to your advantage when practicing! You will save time and get more done in less practice time.