The Practice Notebook, Part 2
Why to write (or why I write, anyway)
Part of the value of the practice notebook is that it makes your work visible. This is of prime importance in the music world—no one pays you to practice, no one applauds when you’ve finished your scales, and though your always-growing skill is a great reward, it is often a real challenge to feel accomplished when you practice and have nothing to show for it. You know, a carpenter builds a set of shelves, and they have the shelves as proof of their work. An artist does a painting, and even if it’s still in progress after a day’s or week’s work, it’s there to see (and touch even)—a visible, tangible monument to their work and talent.
Now, I don’t expect that the Met will ever have an exhibition of the practice notebooks of the great musicians of our time, but the practice notebook can go a long way to make you feel good about the amount and quality of the work you’re doing, simply by making it visible and tangible.
But wait, there’s more!
I’d like to list a few more benefits that you can keep an eye out for as you experiment with keeping a practice notebook. Keeping a practice log allows you to:
- Keep track of what still needs to be done (write yourself a note: come back to bar 12, work on bars 234 and 235 together now, start 2nd movement tomorrow).
- Give yourself encouragement. Don’t be shy about it—remember how I said this wouldn’t be posted in front of the class? Go ahead—put a gold star every time you meet your practice goal! Or write in curse words! Or both!
- Be your own best teacher by keeping track of what works and what doesn’t
- Get to have a cool notebook. Isn’t this one pretty?
- Have fun, later on in life, to look back at a record of your past life in music. Remember when you took that big audition? Remember when you first started working with your favorite teacher? Here’s mine from the day I took my Tales & Scales audition:
A special note to the beginners out there: have you ever wished you could have your teacher there with you all week, making sure you practice right? This is a great way to learn to practice—what works, what doesn’t, what’s fun, and what isn’t. It’s especially valuable if you are not practicing every day—to help keep track of where you are, and what still needs time and attention.
A note to the professionals and conservatory students out there: I know you’re skeptical! Try it anyway!
I’ve just wandered over to look at your new blog, especially reading about the practice notebooks. In a previous life as a chemist I was of course trained to take meticulous notes about all my experiments and research, general reading, etc.
I title my practice notebooks “Music Log” since in addition to capturing my practice sessions, it chronicles the gigs, shows, and rehearsals I play.
The log is great for my daily work, since I capture what tempi and articulation(s) I used for T&G #4, or perhaps Moyse Daily Exercises “B” minor scales. All the details I think useful in what I practice. I’m not always working on going faster, at times I want a goal of seeing how much slower I can go before I notice the tiny inexactness creeping into the playing. I’m sure it is there faster, but it’s not noticeable in the faster tempo.
I chronicle what I do day by day on right-hand pages only. On the left-hand pages I write the really important stuff I learn: insights I had forgotten, goals I need to accomplish, things like that. There aren’t all that many items on the left pages and they are easier to find.
In the back of the current book I have my section I think of as the salt mines or gulag. All the nasty little note patterns or passages that I can’t play cleanly at some stated tempo, slurs that are awkward, whatever is annoying the heck out of me. Every practice session I’ll look back there and pick at something once I’m warmed up and feeling good. I don’t go too long so that I won’t become frustrated. But it is so cool to be able honestly to note next to an item when I’ve killed that problem. I don’t erase it or line it out. I want to be able to read it because periodically I go back through the many log books looking for items done that may have become undone.
The left-hand pages opposite the salt mines have the best ideas and wisdom I’ve collected. So while I’m looking for trouble in the salt mines I also read the reminders of “do this” and “don’t do that” kind of things.
When I started seriously doubling and making much more money playing for shows with or without a flute, the log books became essential to balance having lots of instruments that need their practice time. Helps keep track of what musical numbers in Guys and Dolls (I’ve played that show for many different productions, usually reed 1 or 3), but now what parts on bari sax are challenging. That’s going on with Brahms 4th symphony, a contemporary double concerto for marimba and piano, the steady shows of Beauty and the Beast and Sweeney Todd. A sort of (almost) prioritized To Do List. Keeps me from forgetting next Thursday I have to have some particular music performance ready.
I look forward to reading all your blog entries. You’ve given the FLUTE community a great resource. Keep writing and playing.
Cheers,
Steve Haaser
Thanks for your great ideas. I love the ‘salt mines,’ and having a place to collect ideas and wisdom.