OK this tip might seem obvious but I expect we've all made this mistake. We've worked hard at learning a piece and then either noticed ourselves or had a teacher point out a mistake that we've been playing. Unfortunately, because we've been playing it wrong so many times it can be really difficult to get it right. So, the secret is to make sure we never practise mistakes.
Whenever you practise a piece always stop as soon as you make a mistake. Take this section and work on it. Play it through once and if you play it correctly then play it at least 3 or 4 times in a row correctly (preferably more). This way your brain is more likely to remember the correct version rather than the mistake. If when you practise the section you make the same mistake again then you need to do something to ensure you don't continue to practise it wrong. Either you need to slow the section down or practise it hands separately in order to get it correct. Then make sure you practise it several times correctly before attempting to speed it back up or put it back together again. If you start to the mistake again then you need to slow it back down or do it separately a few more times. Slow, separate practise does work!
When a piece is getting nearer to a performance you will need to practise performing it. On these occasions it is important to play a piece through from start to finish without stopping. In a performance you always carry on and ignore any slips. Hopefully the audience won't notice! However, even when practising performing a piece, make sure you work on any areas that do go wrong. I find it useful to record performances so I can listen back to them and spot anything that needs to be worked on. Its amazing what you notice on a recording that you didn't notice while practising!
Hope this tip helps. Keep up the practising and feel free to post your comments!
This series is a good idea. I look forward to your next article!
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