Practicing Tips and Inspiration

Multi-instrumentalist and Practice Warrior Christopher Maloney presents this video course that focuses on the various mindsets, strategies and philosophies that can truly transform your attitude and viewpoint about learning and mastering music. These short videos are guaranteed to get you thinking differently about practicing and give you the inspiration you need for your own musical self-improvement.

1. The Triangle Of Awesomeness - Everyone knows the more you play, the better you get.  But most people don't know the third and most important part of that equation:  What happens when you start to get better and how does that put you on a cycle of continued self improvement?  Behold, The Triangle Of Awesomeness! (5:58)

2. Don’t Train Your Fingers Wrong - If 'practice makes perfect', then you'd better be doing it right. Otherwise, you'll be playing perfectly wrong! Learn how to spot mistakes and challenges quickly to avoid learning the wrong things. (8:18)

3. The Power Of Deadlines - Nothing motivates like a deadline.  You've experiences this driver of action everywhere from your school life to your work life to your personal life.  So how can you create and utilize the power of deadlines to keep you driven to practice, achieve your goals, and feel a continued sense of accomplishment?  The answers await in this insightful video lesson. (9:29)

4. TV Practicing - Focus is essential for effective practicing. BUT, sometimes you just need to get your repetitions in. Find out what situations will allow you to multitask during vital practice time, and how it can be just as effective as the more regimented, focused practicing. (6:18)

5. The Greatest Teacher…EVER! - People who took the Practice Warriors Practice Masterclass know all too well the power of the almighty metronome to help them develop excellent time, practice with precision and help increase their speed.  In this tips video, you'll learn great metronome hack that can help you stay engaged in practicing mundane (but essential) exercises. (4:02)

6. “If You’re Not Making Mistakes…” - The great jazz keyboardist Russell Ferrante has a great saying:  "If you're not making mistakes, you aren't trying hard enough." How can you use the spirit of this concept in your practicing to become a fearless musician?  This video lesson will give you the insights you need. (6:28)

7. Practicing Advice From The Sax Perspective - Each musician and educator has their own take on practicing and musical self-improvement.  Music teacher and musician Chris Moore talks about the kind of practicing advice he's used and what he passes on to his students. (1:29)

8. The Importance Of Practicing Slowly - Timing is everything.  You could know every song ever written, play every scale ever created and play faster than any human on earth.  BUT, if your timing is off and you can't match the beats with a metronome or other musicians, you could be in serious musical trouble. In this video, you'll learn another reason to play things slow...to make your timing amazing. (7:53)

9. When To Stop Practicing - Have you ever been practicing something where you are making some improvement...then you start actually making MORE mistakes as time goes on? There are many reasons why this could happen, but one of the best strategies to overcome this is very simple:  Stop Practicing! Sometimes, you just need a well-timed and well-earned break. (4:59)

10. Having Joy When Practicing (Trumpet Perspective) - Musician and educator Dr. Kevin Horan talks about he creates joy and fulfillment in his daily practicing. (2:33)

11. 5-Minute Attention Span - Have you ever tried to focus on something that frustrates or bores you?  It's almost torture, right? If you have to focus on something tough for a certain length of time, how can you "shorten" that length of time where you can still get all the practice benefits? It almost seems impossible to manipulate time like that, but it CAN be done.  Watch the video and see for yourself.  Then put this awesome practice tip to use! (6:10)

12. Stay In The Unknown - We all want to be comfortable when we play music.  We also want to avoid mistakes at all costs. ...but does that really help us improve? Sometimes you want to welcome mistakes, because they show you EXACTLY what you need to work on. (4:52)

13. Be The Best “Tuba” You Can Be - What instrument do we carry with us wherever we go? Our voice! And yet, so many people are overly self conscious about the sound of their voice. It's not about becoming a singer...it's about loving your most personal musical instrument. Your voice is just that...YOUR VOICE.  Learn to accept it and love it.  This video is your first step. (5:45)

14. Having Joy When Practicing (Violin/String Perspective) - Violinist Bonnie Brown discusses the importance of having a FUN topic as part of your Practice Ritual. She mentions things that many violinists like to work on, and she even discusses what she does during practice that brings her great joy and fulfillment. (5:35)

15. The Best Way To Improve… - Sometimes, the best way to improve...is NOT to improve! Sometimes you practice simply to "maintain" your skills. You always want to strive for improvement.  But when time gets scarce, maintaining your skills becomes just as important. (4:09)

16. Truth Telling About Your Playing - When it comes to assessing our musical skills, we tend to be: 1. Too Hard On Ourselves: We have this delusion about how good we're "supposed to be" and don't look joyously on our achievements thus far, or 2. Delude Ourselves: The tendency to think we may be farther along than we actually are. However, there is a balance of both these mindsets that actually can get us EXCITED about our playing ability regardless of your level of skills.  (9:35)

17. Shuhari - Shuhari is a Japanese term that refers to, among other things, the different stages of mastery. It's just really cool to take this timeless understanding of mastery and apply it to music.  It can help you understand and appreciate where you are in the process. (7:43)