The Summerglen Files

Yesterday was officially Practice Day #5 of my monthlong “Pile of Practice” project, and I’m already impressed with the results. They fully support the idea that the benefits of practice come not when you practice aimlessly for hours on end, but when you practice consistently and with a clear goal in mind.

Earlier in the summer, I said, “I want to use the slow summer months to become a better trombonist.” Oops, that was a mistake! Even though nothing’s wrong with wanting to become a better trombonist, there is a problem when that desire isn’t backed up by concrete goals. Looking back to June and much of July, I realize that much of my practice was just putting in time, maintaining what I already had instead of reaching new horizons. It stinks to read that, but it’s true!

Structuring my practice with goals has made me a better player, possibly because it makes me hit all my trouble spots each day. It’s hard to sit and watch CSI: Miami when you know there’s a Next Action you haven’t checked off! If I add up all my practice, it’s not too much–maybe 2 hours daily, split into smaller 20-minute chunks throughout each day. But it’s GOOD practice, focused and consistent.

I’m not nailing my high Cs in Todo Tiene yet, but I can play La Cura with amazing accuracy and a pretty tone. My 2nd octave double-tongued C scale is bumpy, but my B scale, just below, is smoothing out nicely. And my improvised solos have been sounding cooler–and flowing more easily–even after 5 days.

So the moral of the story is, good practice is AWESOME!