5 Crucial Practice Routine Tips I Wish I’d Learned 20 Years Ago
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 มิ.ย. 2024
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Once you understand this chord structure, your piano playing will never be the same. It's used commonly in both Jazz and Neo Soul, but you'll really hear it used in an absolutely gorgeous way in modern Neo Soul-Inspired tracks that cross genres as well. A really important part of this sound is the dim(maj7) chord, i.e. a diminished triad with a major 7. The structure comes down to being built like a block chord, but with a major 7 instead of a 6. Use this over any melody or chord progression for a modern sound. Enjoy this jazz and Neo Soul piano tutorial with Noah Kellman.
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Timestamps
0:00 Intro
1:10 Tip 1 - Deep Learning
4:16 Tip 2 - Don't do too much at once
5:52 Tip 3 - Make your goals tangible
7:12 Tip 4 - Thematic Practice
9:15 Tip 5 - Staggered Repetition - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
The fifth reminded me of a tip I once heard. After you have learnt something and it is in your short-term memory, try to forget it as soon as possible. Do something else and don't come back until you have forgotten the thing you learnt, if it takes an hour or a day. Just make it vanish as fast as you can. Then learn it again, it's easier this time but it still goes to your short-term memory. Repeat until you brains say: "This is just stupid. There's no sense to put this thing again in the short-term memory just to be forgotten because this guy is apparently going to learn it again as soon as it happens. Better put this into the long-term memory." And there, you'll maybe never forget it again. The irony is I had totally forgotten that tip. I hope this moved it into my long-term memory.
Hahah that’s awesome. Yeah I think this is a variation on the staggered repetition idea. Great stuff!
haha funny!
You're speaking of spaced repetition. I think.
Thank you for this tip: I never knew it but this might be my saving Grace! Kathi
I tell my students, "Learning a piece of music is like making a computer software or app: You need to spend hours, days, weeks, and sometimes months slowly and carefully working on the project's inner details for it to run smoothly (without fault) when you start it up. It's the same for music. The inner details, when practiced slower with staggered learning, can all be accounted for in real time when you're interacting with your instrument in a live performance."
Man I respect you so much for what you do and the way you've dedicated yourself to helping musicians improve in all aspects. I've really been struggling with creating structure in my routines as a self-taught musician due to the unrealistic amount of content online. I end up getting demotivated because I feel like I'm watching all these videos and trying all these different things but seeing minimal progress. This video is life-changing, seriously! And what I love is some of these tips are applicable to just about any creative path that requires practice. My time is split between piano, guitar, music production, and songwriting, so it's difficult to not feel overloaded with information sometimes, but these concepts of deep learning, setting measurable goals, thematic practice and staggered repetition have given me so much more direction. Thanks, Noah!
Hey Kyle, you're very welcome. I know exactly what you mean- there's so much content out there it's really tough to keep track of it all. So glad to hear that these tips will be helpful to you.
Here here
I started playing piano recently again for the first time in 35 years and I've really enjoyed the people sharing these practice ideas on youtube. I keep forgetting that the first step is to practice, practice, practice! Then I do and it's so rewarding that it's a positive feedback loop and I just keep going. I can't wait to get to the point where I can muscle memory those chromatic chord progressions from your other video. Thanks for doing this!
Best thing that helped me practice is when making a mistake, stop, breath and go again. Seems simple but this also means not to resort to negative self talk or putting one’s self down cause it’s not happening, not indulging in the anger or frustration of making mistakes. Just to stop. Breath. Go again.
Great tips that I’m definitely going to take on board. Thanks very much Noah! 🙏 🎶
Great tips. Thanks for sharing
“Don’t feel like you always have to force yourself to do things that make you loose focus or get bored or even feel tense or mentally drained. Allow your brain whatever time or change of pace it needs to come back and feel focused.”
Thanks for sharing! Great video!
Amazing!! Thank you for giving a fresh perspective on practice. I can't wait to implement these strategies with myself and my students.
Great ideas 💡, to motivate me to keep practising. My favourite practice idea:
We over estimate what we can achieve in one session; and underestimate what we can achieve in a month
Thank you Noah!
Real nuggets, Noah! Thank you for sharing your musical treasures in such a generous and clear way.
Hey Helmut, my pleasure. Thanks for your comment 🙏
Wisdom. Thanks Noah!
You nailed it, this adds on to what I already knew… so I will be even more focused… thanks buddy
Great video!
I'm gonna try it!
I just started piano and I'm an old lady with a toddler- let me tell you I'm SURPRISED at how fast I was able to learn to play a scale with both hands b/c I was forced to do short frequent practicing instead of longer sessions. When my teacher first introduced it my brain was NOT getting it and my fingers were doing whatever they wanted so I just made a goal of trying to do it 5x in a row with no mistakes and go as slow as I needed. I went from not being able to do this to now I can do it without looking at a decent tempo and it's been less than a week! It dawned on me as I was listening that this is the same way my kid learns- short frequent sessions work WAY better than less frequent long ones. Maybe that's why kids seem to pick up on so much so fast.
Important lesson. Thnx.
Great lesson as always. Love it! Thanks a lot, Noah! 👍😎🙏💯😊
Thanks, David! My pleasure glad you enjoyed it
2 minute AOL story is priceless lesson - so cool. Thanks for sharing. 👍🏼
Sure thing!! Haha yeah those were different times
thanks a lot bro!
Wow man, I haven’t even watched the video yet but I can tell it’s going to be incredible. I’m 23 and only been taking piano seriously for the past 3 years or so, and I’ve struggled so much with balancing a lofty practice goal and motivation, as well as what material to practice since I’m mostly self taught. Thanks for talking about this :)
I agree little and often. Thanks for the great video. Very informative guidance. 👍
My pleasure, Janet. Thank you for your comment.
That last one was just what I needed. Thank you Noah for another great video!
Hey Aidan, glad to hear it! You’re welcome
Thanks a lot for your encouragement 📣
Sure thing!
Nice! Keeping a practice journal also helps me a lot. I can revisit it before, during, and after practice to make sure I'm on track, set goals, stay focused, and take note of my progress. It's a very powerful tool to discover what works best for me in terms of habits, practice duration, etc.
Hey Amy, that's great! Yes I find keeping a practice journal very helpful as well. Thank you for reminding me here in the comments!
Brillant! Baz in NZ.
Today, after 20 years of playing, my practice consist of working through a book with about 10-20 pieces. It may take a few days over a 2hr-6hrs. every day of the month with few days skipped. Then, I start over from the beginning again. Staying with this book for 2 or 3 month straight. After this I will pick out another book to play through repeatedly. Currently, I have chosen two books are "a Charlie brown Christmas" and "10 Christmas songs for solo voice" by Mark Hayes. Once in a while, I pull down Hannon in 60 exercises and go through a few of those exercises. But thats all.
At 59 years of age I still see steady improvement but never seem to arrive. What keeps me going, I think is that I'm addicted to progress and love music at the same time. And speaking as a Christian, I do think the Lord has led me into this and keeps me motivated. Blessings to all. PS,
The Goat of practice routine advice
This is very good instruction. You are talking about good study habits.
Thanks, Robert! Glad you like it 🙏
Great video. Another tip If you're not motivated to practice one day. Transcribe a small line of new music whether it be a lick or a few comping chords. Take that through 12 keys or through a progression. It can be very small and only takes about 15 minutes. But this will result in tremendous growth that you'll notice in future sessions. It also leaves you feeling fulfilled since you learned something new. I find this to be more stimulating and enjoyable than practicing things you already know.
Another tip is to take a song you know very well and play it through a few different keys. Again, maybe only 15 mins if you're unmotivated/busy, but doing this daily will skyrocket your progress and expose you to different voicings in different keys. To me, these practices are the biggest bang for your buck since it can be difficult to do. But just dedicate those 15 mins, even right before bed.
Thanks, Noah! I keep a practice journal as well, in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. I also keep a library of riffs and exercises, and anything else I want or need to work on. Writing out a riff is a great way to spend those five minutes when you need a break.
Hey Ken, awesome agreed keeping a Practice Journal is an important piece of the puzzle. How do you organize your spreadsheet? Always curious because I think other folks have better ways of doing it than I do.
@@NoahKellman I‘m curious too. 😁🤩
@@NoahKellman @DrHoofman I've been using Excel since back in the day when it was called Microsoft Multiplan. My practice journal is an Excel workbook, which is a collection of spreadsheets arranged in tabs. The whole thing is called "Ken's Projects" because it manages all sorts of projects, like maintaining my photo library, my arrangements, even my charitable donations and subscriptions to indie media. Anyway, the practice journal itself has columns for date, number (a reference to other tables that keep track of riffs, exercises, etc), description (a brief description of what I'm working on, such as "Augmented arpeggios in LH"), a comment giving further detail, a tempo measurement to track my progress, and a column for positive comments that provide a little encouragement and inspiration. I usually keep track of gigs and rehearsals here.
I also have a practice plan tab that basically outlines the topics I want to work on. I don't use it much, and I'd like some advice about how other people use a practice plan.
My Riffs and Technique tabs basically show an item number, a description, and a snapshot of the actual notation, together with a diary of when I practised the item (I don't use it all that much, since it's redundant). The notation can come from a paper manuscript book, a Dorico or Sibelius document, a screenshot of a Jazz Advice blog or an Aimee Nolte video, or whatever.
Though it might sound very complicated and intimidating, I don't devote a lot of time and effort to it. I just like to keep track of what I'm doing, and since I'm keeping the journal just for myself, I don't have to follow any rules or restrictions.
Amazing video!! This is exactly what I needed. I was looking for how to structure practice routines since it started to feel like i wasn’t having a direction in practicing. i really like the tip of using transcriptions and sight reading practice(i’m a terrible sight reader). killing two birds with one stone there. i think for the next period of time i’m going to be focusing in on mccoy tyner and the pentatonics stuff
Awesome! Yeah I’m not the greatest sight reader either, but getting I’m much better using transcriptions because it makes it more fun. Let me know how it goes!
@@NoahKellman For sure, sight reading is really difficult on piano. The amount of notes we have to read along with keeping the tempo is really challenging. I’m working on mccoys inception solo, i’ll update you on my progress
I remark several problems:
1. The staggered repetition is not a good thing when one practice heavy things (eg., Liszt études, Godowsky études, Stravinsky Petrouchka...), because one breaks the warmup, we need to stay "warm" (ie., with launched muscle physiology) in order to be efficient at the muscle energy catabolism; going cold may lead to injuries, excess of lactic acidose (we are using too much the anaerobic glycolyse instead of the aerobic glycolyse), etc. I highly advise against that staggered repetition.
2. Furthermore, having small sessions and leaving when the focus is out, is very bad for improving the ability to focus, instead you want to set a time goal, eg., 45 minutes is perfect, of continuous focus, and rest only after such streak. It's not by chance Standford classes and many conferences are using this optimal duration of focus of 45 minutes. When one practice shorter periods or drop it when the focus is gone is impairing the ability to focus. Thus I highly advise against this "drop it when the focus is gone" practice. Eventually, one can be able to go further, eg., 2h of intense and continuous focus, it's possible but it's not as optimal as 45 minutes.
I think you’re misinterpreting my points here.
Taking breaks and staggered repetition are two different concepts. Everyone’s needs are different, but based on my own personal research, the average student loses focus and achieves diminishing returns after around 25 minutes of studying (I'm no scientist, that's just what I've learned!).
What I’m suggesting in this video is that when you lose focus, take a break (that could be as short as 5 minutes of giving your mind space)- don’t stop your practice altogether. You won't have to start your warm up all over if it's a short break, and additionally it might even prevent injury, not cause it.
Your second point is interesting- I do believe quite a bit in neuroplasticity and I can see how working on focus could help you improve your ability to focus itself (like meditation is said to do), but still when it comes to learning skills and memorizing them, staggered repetition is a great method that is time-tested. I can speak from personal experience when I say it yields excellent results and helps convert concepts into long-term memory.
And this is why we love Noah 😊
:)
Thank you for your honesty, you're great. Actually, it's *this* that kept me watching to the end lol
Ahh thank you, so glad you watched and appreciate you leaving the comment 🙏
Thanks for sharing this! Btw, what is the program you use to demonstrate your playing on the screen back there? I’m kind of low tech-person 😅 thank you !
Does anyone else succumb to on-day/off-day syndrome? One day my practice session is good and you shut the piano lid feeling you've made progress, then the very next day it feels you gone two steps back! Rinse and repeat Lol. Of course cumulatively the good days overcome the off days and you slowly forge ahead. It's as if your brain circuits are still in the process of re-wiring on the off days. 😁
as always great video great tips ! I feel like those 2 hour long practice seshs can even be hugely counterproductive, as like you said ur brain becomes sluggish and instead of internalizing what u want to learn you are instead internalizing little mistakes that can creep in over such durations of training which then becoming frustratingly hard to get out of :)
Yes, so true! I also find that sometimes I focus so much on the mistake that it becomes a repeating self-fulfilling prophecy. Then after taking a break, I come back and suddenly can play the same part with no mistake.
In my case, I don't do a goal per day. I work on something until i get it on muscle memory non matter what the time it takes.
For example, if i work on learning a specifically V7 chord, i will take time to learn it all different keys, in arpeggios, put it in context in cadences, in songs etc... Until i have it in my ears and in my muscle.
But it can take at least one week.
One day is not enough for my brain to really learn one thing.. if i do something one day and change the next day, the next week i forget it!
I'm more into learning a topic until my body have it, rather than one goal/one day.
Cool that’s great! And when I say one goal per day, for example, I mean that you could focus on the same topic for the whole week, like your V7 chord example- but each day, set a goal of 1-3 keys you’ll learn it in, very tangible and bite sized.
Since I've resumed piano study after many years I've learned something: it's often best the give my hands a day off so they can physically recover. Just like working out, one shouldn't train arms every day. Recover time is as critical as doing the training itself. So I'm not obsessed with practice every single day.
Hey Scott, that’s a really excellent point. Thank you. Yes, especially if you have been practicing something particularly technically demanding. They are muscles after all!
For those who have to travel to work each day, it's really hard to find a good time to practise. I found a trick that worked for me, and it's consistent with what Noah is saying. All the way home I reminded myself that the first thing I would do is practise. I did ten minutes minimum without even removing my tie or jacket or checking messages or getting a refreshment. It usually became twenty or thirty minutes, because I was having a good time. Mind over matter.
But there is a part of practice which can sometimes be extended for longer periods. This is the simulated performance bit, where maybe you get a chance to be very creative too, particularly if, as in my case, you're relying more on instincts and muscle memory than on the analytic part of the brain. Maybe this because I'm more into Morton, Waller and Wilson than say Evans, Kyle & Jarret.
Great tips thanks
Your best video 4 sure …
Thank you!!
I’m new and 66 years old. This was helpful.
Five practice tips: I'll send you my bill (joking).
1. Slow Forte. This means practising your topics slowly and with force. This helps hammer it into your memory.
2. Practise hands separately much more than you think you need to. You learn things much more quickly and completely by concentrating on one hand at a time.
3. Memorize, then practise from memory.
4. Practise with eyes closed. Try it!
5. Switch among two or three topics in one session. Switching helps send a topic out of your working memory and onto your "hard drive" or permanent memory.
Thank YOU so much for saving me 14 minutes better spent on practice. I love you.
@@yoshoe haha his tips are great but not the same ones as in the video!
Cheers Ken, great tips!! Thank you for sharing. I think folks here will find them very useful.
Dude, this is gold.
Do you have any book to recommend about jazz exercises?
Thanks man!! What type of exercises are you look for? There are lots depending on your goals. Is there anything specific you'd like to improve?
@@NoahKellman I would love to improvise like Jamie Cullum on this video
th-cam.com/video/ZW_UfHDmPWg/w-d-xo.html
3:15
Thanks for the tips Noah. I have a question for you or someone else who knows the anwser. A lot of youtube tutorials are easy or way too hard for me What would be a good guide to get better at playing jazz piano (like step by step subject). Something like "i can do these first steps now i know where to move on from".
As for background. I can play some jazz standards now and find fun in playing some bill evans solo's.
Sorry if i made some mistakes in english, its not my main language
But for starters im gonna go through your free resource library ;)
He has a course “jazz piano secrets” which I highly recommend
@@mattdubovik3082 Thanks for the recommendation, Matt!
As a teacher of adult learners, I find every student asks how many hours a day do I need to practice to get better. It’s a reasonable question but it is hard to answer. First, until you get to a certain level you feel overwhelmed by how much there is to know. If at that point I told you to practice two hours a day, would you see yourself as making progress? Probably not. Second, no matter how good your teacher is, you will reach the point where you have to take charge of your own learning. At that point, the teacher is someone you consult with for problems you can’t fix yourself.
the notion of deep-learning is interesting. i'm not sure I can do this anymore. I had brain surgery two weeks ago to resect a glioblastoma tumor in my right frontal lobe. I'm still recovering, get tired and shaky easily. i've started playing again, but my motivation and stamina has waned.
i'd like to understand chord progressions better. for example, i'd like to be able to look at a chart and know why a Db7 chord is resolving to a Cmin6. are there any quick and easy resources for this or is this not a quick and easy question?
Study Tritone substitutions. Db7 is tritone sub of G7, therefore it resolves nicely to a C minor 6 chord
The 3rd and 7th of the Db chord are the 7th and the 3rd of the G chord
You should practice learning all tritone sub of dominant chords in 12 keys. Won’t take that long. Is good practice and you can try using in all the tunes you play. Apply it every where you can in practice. In actual playing use but dong over use. Use your ear. What sounds good to you is what’s best.
@@brucejeric6701 thank you
@@ericmohn4002 good luck Eric
I’m sure there are many books etc on tritone subs? The process , the theory. Etc. if you are far enough along on your instrument and theory knowledge. You should do well. Enjoy
I'm a COMPLETE beginner, where do I start?😞
I've read that the brain consolidates learning during sleep so perhaps a cat nap after a practice session would be wise. Thanks for the excellent tips!
But thats for sleep of 3 hours or longer
Hah yeah actually that’s a great idea. One more point for the Spanish Siesta…
@@mariusz9223 oh interesting- any idea which part of the sleep cycle or if that’s even relevant?
@@mariusz9223 sounds like a good and relaxing way of life to an old man like me..25min exercise and a 3 hours nap until the next exercise. Dreaming of Tommy Emmanuels lullabies….😪🥰
@@NoahKellman that would translate to two cycles, as one cycle is approximately 1.5 hour. I was doing some reading about that some time ago, however when I googled it now it shows some website where 3 hours minimum is claimed as first result, but theres no source given so I can’t confirm this information.
all great tips! lol @ aol
Could you please explain to a non natively English speaker what the heck does "Staggered Repetition" mean? According to dictionaries, "staggered" is something like " shocked, overwhelmed, or astounded". Thanks! :)
if you're going the spaced repetition route, remember that the key is to practice the same thing, in the EXACT same way that you practiced it yesterday. I tell my students to imagine that every day they are taking apart and assembling a lego set, and then reassembling it from the instructions. If you really want it internalized, the same procedure must be followed every time.
put the instrument / thing you want to learn near the kitchen. Then practice it whenever you are waiting for food to heat up / cook etc. There are lots of spare minutes waiting for water to boil LOL
hah! love that. Great idea if you've got a nice and portable keyboard haha
There are two students: student A practices 3 hours once a week, student B practices 20 minutes 5 days a week. Who is progressing faster? Student B is, even if they practice for less time than A (3hours>2 hours). It's not about how long you do something, it's about how many times you do it. If y'all interested in more statements like this one, I recommend y'all read the book Atomic Habits.
NOW IN SPANISH, THANKS.
Noah, how old are you?
Motivation to practice depends on an upcoming concert
Yes one can't just practice for 2 hours a passage for one day and expect it to stay in the long term memory, it needs daily repetition to enter the long term memory unless you're a genius or highly talented.
First Tip : Don't have kids.
Too much blah blah
Too much lecture.. make it simple man!..get a better song than cocktail music 🎶🎶🎶🎶 ! Boring songs NO good!
If you spend hours on a digital like the one used here... You will cripple yourself! You will learn slower your finger agility and stregth will develop very slowly.. I wasted many years on a digital, the digital piano market is a con job(they are convenient! They sound pretty.. What more do you want.. They ARE pianos.. We will even call our shops piano showrooms!) .. These things are NOT pianos... They are plastic crippling machines.. Aw they are fine, your exaggerating!! You say.. No I'm not, find a good real piano showroom and try a real quality new piano then go sit at a digital.. You will notice the difference yourself.. Everything this guy is saying in this vid is due to practicing on a digital (sluggish brain, things don't stick well in your memory) , believe me I've got the best digital on the market but it dosnt touch my Yamaha upright, let alone a grand