When learning a new piece of music, break it down into small sections. Only when you have mastered one section can you move on to the next. The size of the sections is a matter of personal preference, but they can as small as a single bar if that’s what works. By breaking the music into sections, you develop an intimate understanding of the feel, style and tone of the piece without being overwhelmed by the various changes and progressions. Once you’re comfortable with the key stylistic elements, you can attempt to tackle the piece as a whole. This method typically means it takes longer to complete a new piece of music, but you’re more likely to play it better having broken down and engaged with each section individually.
This is productive approach when learning new techniques. For example, if you’re a guitarist learning how to play sweep arpeggios, it is easy to bluff by playing quickly. Vary the speed at which you play the technique so you can be sure you play each note correctly. Once you’re confident about hitting each note in the arpeggio, increase the metronome setting and play faster. Similarly, you can highlight weaknesses that you didn’t know you had by taking something you can already play fast and performing it at half-speed.
Improvisation is an advanced group practice strategy in which you make up what you play as you go along. This lets you explore your creative side. Jazz players improvise in order to find new melodic and rhythmical ideas. There’s an element of unpredictability in improvisation. Improvising helps develop your ability to interact with other musicians.
Either turn off the lights or put on a blind fold to keep yourself from seeing the instrument. This forces you to feel your way around the instrument and focuses you more on the sounds. If you’re reliant on looking at where your fingers are supposed to go before you play a note, this can limit your ability to change notes fluidly. Blind practice slowly helps you loose this habit.
This is practical strategy for any musician. At the end of each practice session, write down what pieces you played, how fast you played them and list any sections that gave you problems, citing the passage and bar for clarity. The next time you come to practice, you’ll be able to quickly start where you left off last time.