5 Habits All Performers Must Develop & 4 To Avoid

Apr 5

Krystyna Tucka talks about 5 habits all performers must develop and 4 habits to avoid in order to become a better musician.

Detailed Specific Practice

How can you practice most efficiently? By planning your practice sessions, targeting specific areas of the music, and focusing on a certain skill or technique. Practicing for five minutes with a goal in mind will be more effective than sitting for extended amounts of time with no clear purpose. Think about your results per minute and be specific when choosing your area of focus for your practice sessions.

Avoid Letting Your Technique Overpower

Obviously, your technique has to be very good, but avoid letting your technique overpower the music. The technique should be a tool to enhance the music, a means to achieve something in the piece, not a focus in itself. It works to amplify and match what you are communicating and what you are expressing. So, instead of only focusing on the technical aspects of the music, focus on the music itself and its message. Playing fast is not necessarily important, but communicating through the music is.

Use The Metronome

Using a metronome is an essential habit to develop. Although it seems evident, practicing with a metronome will help improve your sense of timing. Without having to worry about dragging the music or speeding up, you can focus on additional things such as dynamics, technique, articulation, and expression.

Avoid Only Practicing Quickly

Practicing at a slow tempo allows you to hear exactly what you are doing with the music and work on improving your performance. When playing slowly, you strengthen your muscles and gain finger agility. If you practice slowly 80% of the time, you can focus on a certain goal and work toward it. If you know the piece very well, practice at medium speed and eventually check your playing at a faster tempo.

During performances, nerves can make it difficult for you to show the dynamics or technique. However, practicing slowly provides an opportunity to emphasize and internalize these things. It may take time and require patience, but it’s worth it!

Read the Indications in the Score

Read all the indications in the score and understand them. Only by knowing what an indication is supposed to sound or feel like can you recreate it. Make an effort to think about what kind of technique, articulation, or dynamic you can use to achieve a particular indication. For example, if you find the word ‘dolce’ in a score, how would you play that passage? What technique can you apply to make it better? How can you place your fingers to make a sound ‘dolce’?

Every score has its own character and every composer has their own style. Reading the indications and staying true to the composer separates you from just playing the instrument. It makes you a memorable performer.

Avoid Waiting to Add Dynamics

Dynamics develop gradually. If you study dynamics from the very beginning and let them become second nature, you will have enough understanding of them to work on true expression. Compare it with actors preparing to perform on stage. They don’t wait until the last moment to figure out how they want to express certain words. They’re doing all the time. Using dynamics as you learn a piece can help you master them and be intentional about them.

You may occasionally need to adjust to the acoustics of the space you perform in, which is another reason to avoid waiting to add dynamics. If you know how to control dynamics from the very beginning, you will be able to play to the room. This means your dynamics are suitable for the space you play in. A great performer can listen and adapt their dynamics to their surroundings!

Notice Changes in Harmony

The changes in harmony are there to influence the mood and expression of a piece of music. Noticing the changes in harmony can help you enhance your performance. For example, if a theme in a major key comes up again in a minor key, can you play it the same? No! The composer switched keys for a reason. It is important to know how the changes in harmony affect the sound and the feeling of the music. With this in mind, you can transmit the right mood at the right time.

Avoid Assuming You’ve Mastered it

Whether it is expression or technique, there is always room for improvement. Making music takes an understanding of the composer, the message of the music, the score, and the instrument. For instance, you can improve your performance and have a better understanding of how to play a composer's music by researching the composer and listening to their compositions. Remember, a good musician can play the notes well, but a great one can communicate through those notes.

Practice with Your Performing Shoes on

Using the piano pedals with shoes or heels on is certainly different from using the pedals when you are only wearing socks. Although this advice applies more to piano players, generally speaking, the clothes you wear at home when practicing vs the attire you wear for a performance can be quite different. Because of this, it may be challenging to perform to the best of your ability while wearing your fancy attire. The solution is simple. The more you practice with your performance shoes or outfit, the more comfortable and confident you will be when performing in it.