By Cindy Anne Broz
Survey
Mark
Attention
Replay
Tie Together
Survey the piece by playing it through from beginning to end 1-2 times. Be sure to take note of the difficult sections.
Mark (in pencil) the sections of the piece that are most difficult for you to play. Use brackets or parenthesis. If you miss a certain note consistently, mark this note with a circle. Mark in key signature or accidentals if you miss them more than once. This is especially important in keys that have more than 3 sharps or flats. If the piece has a double sharp or double flat, circle this note along with the preceding and following notes.
Focus practice Attention on the difficult/marked sections. Practice circled notes by playing the note in context with the several preceding and several following notes. Practice double sharps and double flats by playing the circled notes first, then playing them in context with the preceding and following measures. Practice bracketed sections slowly, and then gradually increase to the appropriate or designated tempo.
Replay the entire piece or study with a special focus on playing into and out of the difficult passages. Polish easily executed sections.
Tie Together all elements of the piece. Practice dynamics, tonal elements, and tempi. Polish entire piece.
Cindy Anne Broz <pipercindy@gmail.com>
