Why Do We Make Misstakes? Part 1

Learn Your Material

Too often we think that we know our solo or orchestral passage and wonder why we made an error on the concert. A wonderful measurement of how well you are prepared for a solo or exposed part in a concert is to use this test. Are you able to play your material ten times in a row without making a mistake? Most of us are content to play the passage one time without error. This is not an example of being prepared. Being able to play it correct one time means that you are now ready to “begin” to prepare your material.

When most players begin to practice a solo, they start reading at the upper left hand corner and proceed to the lower right corner of the music. This is not a bad process for we are conditioned to do so. Everything we read; books, magazines, letters are all approached in this tradition. It seems logical to continue this pattern when preparing your solo but sometimes it is best to skip around when practicing your solo.

Start at the end

Most solos build from the beginning to the final conclusion. Due to the fact that this is generally the pattern, one would expect the last few lines would be the most difficult. If the most difficult is at the end, it makes sense to spend more time on the most difficult than on the easy material at the top.

Look for the dark areas

When I refer to the “dark” areas, I mean the fast notes (1/16s, 1/32nd notes). “The darker the notes, the more difficult the passage”. Too many players spend wasted time playing the “lighter” notes (1/2, whole notes) and when time for the performance gets close they rush to learn the fast notes.

Isolate the problem

Don’t waste your time practicing things you can already play. If you can isolate the problem, and focus the majority of your time on that, you will save yourself time and anguish.
1. Isolate the problem
2. Begin your practice of this problem slowly at first
3. Slowly increase your speed while keeping everything in control
4. Transpose the passage up one step, the down one step
5. Place repeat signs at the beginning and end of the passage
6. Play this section everyday ten times in a row
7. Increase the tempo beyond what is required in your performance
8. Decrease the tempo below what you will be expected to perform
9. Invite a friend to listed to you play this passage ten times in a row
10. Play the passage at varying tempi
11. Add the measure before the difficult passage and start over from the top

These suggestions may seem a bit drastic and could be considered by some to be a bit “over kill” but when one prepares for an important performance, what you have done before the downbeat will determine the outcome of your performance.