I use and teach a practice strategy that I call "stop practice" that is terrifically effective for certain types of problems. This post will be my attempt to lay out the basic strategy as I use it, and I expect to write future posts elaborating on various more narrowly focused aspects of the strategy. Perhaps the most common example of a problem well-suited to Stop Practice would be executing a particular shift correctly, consistently, and with ease. Stop Practice can be applied, however, to any kind of problem where a specific transition can be identified as needing work.
I call this strategy "Stop Practice" because it involves playing up to the transition, stopping in order to think, then going on.
In the case of a shift, I would play up to the note before the shift, stop, imagine what the shift will feel like, execute the shift without yet playing the new note (moving the left hand/arm but not the bow), think about whether the new note will be in tune and adjust if necessary, then finally play the new note to find out if it was in fact in tune. The stop, then, is not just a moment of waiting, but gives me time to do a lot of thinking. The goal here is to find out if I really know what the exact correct destination feels like. I sometimes articulate this goal as "if I think it is going to be right, it is" or "do I know where the target is?" for my students.
In the case of a shift, I would play up to the note before the shift, stop, imagine what the shift will feel like, execute the shift without yet playing the new note (moving the left hand/arm but not the bow), think about whether the new note will be in tune and adjust if necessary, then finally play the new note to find out if it was in fact in tune. The stop, then, is not just a moment of waiting, but gives me time to do a lot of thinking. The goal here is to find out if I really know what the exact correct destination feels like. I sometimes articulate this goal as "if I think it is going to be right, it is" or "do I know where the target is?" for my students.
I call this the first goal because there are three different goals or questions to address through Stop Practice. Often, when we have a problem spot that doesn't seem to be getting better despite plenty of practice, it is because our "problem spot" actually has multiple problems within it, and in order to really solve it we need to separate them and address them individually. Each single challenge may not be so difficult, but when they are layered on top of each other, the spot can be impossible.
The three goals of Stop Practice, then, in order are:
1. The Destination: I can consistently play the right note after the stop.
2. The Gesture: I can get there in one smooth gesture after the stop.
3. The Schedule: I can coordinate this gesture with a schedule.
When working on the first goal, continuing with the example of a difficult shift, I allow myself to adjust my final note as many times as I wish before playing it. I am only concerned with whether my "final answer" is correct, but I have to know it by the feel. Also, I have to be able to do it correctly enough times in a row that I am satisfied that there is no luck involved. With unlimited time and adjustments, I can nail it every time.
The second goal is easily overlooked. In order to do something quickly, it needs to be efficient. Before trying to speed up your shift, make sure that you can do it in one move. From the preparation to the arrival, it needs to feel like one gesture, not several. Also, it is at this stage that it is no longer acceptable to shift to the wrong spot, but then fix it, since that would be more than one gesture. You do, however, still need to take the time to evaluate before moving the bow. If it feels off, just go back and start over without even playing the note. The task is to imagine what it will feel like to get there in one move, then do it, and evaluate whether it felt as you expected before hearing the result. If it feels right, play the note to be sure it sounds right. Before you go on, it should be easy to do this every time.
Coordinating this gesture with a specific arrival time is the third goal. This is not quite the same thing as saying that it now needs to be fast. Doing the shift while keeping track of a pulse (and counting) is some serious multi-tasking. I try to think about some sort of schedule that basically describes the amount of time I am generally taking to do it already. It could be playing the note before the shift, and playing the note after the shift four beats later, for example. The new challenge is doing everything I was already doing, while now keeping track of a pulse and making sure that I am ready to play by the time it is necessary. Once I can do this easily, I might try shortening the schedule. I do this by seeing if I have enough time left over once I am ready to get rid of a beat. Every time you do something exactly the same way, it gets a little easier, and easier means you can do it a little faster.
In the case of stop practice, the thing you are doing is the thinking. This isn't something you are trying to eventually not do. You are practicing the thinking so that you can do it quickly enough that you will be able to do it within the time you have available. It was astonishing to me when I first realized that this was possible. It meant that I could be completely secure with challenges that were previously filled with anxiety. If you are a student and try this strategy out, let me know how it goes. If you are a teacher and use something similar, I'd love to hear about it.
Coordinating this gesture with a specific arrival time is the third goal. This is not quite the same thing as saying that it now needs to be fast. Doing the shift while keeping track of a pulse (and counting) is some serious multi-tasking. I try to think about some sort of schedule that basically describes the amount of time I am generally taking to do it already. It could be playing the note before the shift, and playing the note after the shift four beats later, for example. The new challenge is doing everything I was already doing, while now keeping track of a pulse and making sure that I am ready to play by the time it is necessary. Once I can do this easily, I might try shortening the schedule. I do this by seeing if I have enough time left over once I am ready to get rid of a beat. Every time you do something exactly the same way, it gets a little easier, and easier means you can do it a little faster.
In the case of stop practice, the thing you are doing is the thinking. This isn't something you are trying to eventually not do. You are practicing the thinking so that you can do it quickly enough that you will be able to do it within the time you have available. It was astonishing to me when I first realized that this was possible. It meant that I could be completely secure with challenges that were previously filled with anxiety. If you are a student and try this strategy out, let me know how it goes. If you are a teacher and use something similar, I'd love to hear about it.
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