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Question from a LivMusic Subscriber:
The article “Fundamentally Speaking” it is very helpful. But how do you manage two hours of practice every day and cover most of the exercices? I actually do the warm-ups-#3-#4 Stamp – Clark-Arban’s and my teacher’s assignment, but I feel two hours is not enough to cover my routine. I always end up taking a minute or less between exercises putting a great deal of stress in my lips. Any idea how to manage my practice time for better results?
This is a problem that is very common. There are so many things that we “should” be doing to hone our technique that it can seem like an insurmountable amount of work. The key is to keep moving when you are doing your daily routine.
In the Stamping It Out series I mention metronome markings for each of the execrcises. The primary reason for this is to keep people moving forward through the exercises. It is so tempting to stretch them out or repeat them to the point that the daily routine takes up far too much time. After you get the techniques refined, playing through the Stamp warm-ups as I have discusses should only take 30 minutes. If you add other elements to your foundation routine it should only take approx. 40 mintutes. If you have more time to spend, then it is certainly fine to do so. However, don’t allow your daily routine to take over your practice day. We are, after all, in the business of making music, and working on the music we need to perform has to be a major part of ur practice day.
If I spend two hours of any given day on fundamentals (foundation and skill set), then I will likely be practicing for at least a total of 4 hours. I strive to keep the amount of time I spend on my daily routine in balance with the time I spend on repertoire.
Also along the lines of time management, I think it is important to build a specified rest period into exercises such as the Stamp. For example, on #’s 2-5, I will rest 4-8 beats after each fermata. I will get the moutpiece off the face during that period to maximize blood flow. It is important to arrive at the end of the foundation routine feeling ready to go, not beat up.
Practicing in this manner should keep you from stalling out and stretching your daily routine out of proportion. I hope this helps!