Do you live on the edge in your practice?
Biting off chunks too large to chew is one of the most common practice problems I see my students make.
One of the best ways to prevent this is by cultivating the skill of identifying where your musical edges are. What is a musical edge?
Simply put, it's that grey area right between the idea you can execute clearly and the idea you can't. And only 2 things get in the way of that execution - physical technique (actual physical training) or hearing the idea clearly (ear training).
Most students don't slow down a motion enough to effectively train their body with clarity and precision
The best way to practice at the edge is to break down any issue with the principle of simplification. An effective example at the phrasing level is to “chunk down” the piece you are working on so that you can effectively identify the trouble spots.
Other examples of simplification look like this: put down your bow and play pizz :: drill one phrase/measure (2 notes if you need to!) at a time :: SLOW it down :: play it all separate bows :: ...no, slower than that :: repeat 20x before going on
Physical training takes GOOD repetition. What makes a repetition good? Well, clarity of intention is one aspect, and clarity of technique (physical principles) is another.
Ear training takes repetition as well, but it looks (and sounds) a bit different than the physical drills.
Wouldn't it be great if they could be combined somehow? Find the edge where your physical limits meet the limits of your ear and you'll find a lot of gems.
