Today’s tool
The slow practice method
Assignment: Identify three challenging passages and practice them at half tempo with perfect execution.
Slow practice isn’t about playing everything slowly—it’s about being strategic to slow things down for specific problems. Today, identify your three most difficult passages and practice them at exactly half your goal tempo (use a metronome to keep yourself honest). At this speed, you should be able to play with technical accuracy and beautiful tone. If you can’t, slow down even more. The key is that slow practice ensures every note is clean, every articulation clear, every motion efficient and consistent. Once you can play a passage perfectly at slow tempo five times in a row, gradually increase the metronome a few notches at a time. This methodical approach builds muscle memory that lasts, rather than reinforcing mistakes at a high speed.
Learn more:
Boot Camp—part 1, by Rachel O’Brien
In this Harp Column Academy lesson on how to practice, expert Rachel O’Brien introduces the “Boot Camp” method of slow and loud practice.
Music ideas:
Ribbons, by Stephanie Curcio
This classic original composition by Curcio is a focus in descending 7th arpeggios. Practice it super slowly as an etude. When you’ve mastered it, use it as a concert solo!