I seldom get more than 30 to 60 minutes straight of practice time these days, so here's what I like to prioritize on days where time is tight.
My top priorities in my practice session are in the following areas:
Tone
Technique
Time Sensitive
I always start with at least 5 to 10 minutes of tone work. I like to make sure I maintain my sound as much as possible so if that's all I practice that day then I'm okay with that! Maintaining your chops is important so that you can take a gig at the drop of the hat. You never know when you'll get the call and you want to be ready and sounding your best so don't let your tone work fall by the wayside.
Next, I always make sure to do some technique drills. Whether that is playing through scales or pulling out a favorite technical exercise, I always make sure to do some honest finger work. I prioritize technique so that when I approach scales, arpeggios, and other patterns in music I'm playing, I can recognize them quickly and pull out the skill and apply it right then. If I'm playing repertoire in an easily identifiable key signature, then I'll tailor this practice area based on that. (E.g. If I'm performing the Mozart G maj. I'm going to highlight G major/ E minor in my technique practice that day.)
Lastly, with whatever time I have left, I'll hit any music that has a time frame on it. This is the time I'll do the read-throughs of new gig repertoire or rehearse any other music that is going to be performed soon. If I don't have any gigs on the docket then I'll use this time to work on orchestral excerpts and other standard repertoire that may come up in an audition or competition.
So there you have it! Here's what an actual 15/30/45/ or 60 minute session might look like: (keep in mind this would look drastically different if I'm preparing for a recital and have more solo repertoire in rotation.)
Fifteen Minute Session | Thirty Minute Session | Forty Five Minute Session | Sixty Minute Session |
5 mins. Tone | 10 mins. Tone | 10 mins. Tone | 10 mins. Tone |
5 mins. Technique | 15 mins. Technique | 20 mins. Technique | 30 mins. Technique |
5 mins. Repertoire | 5 mins. Repertoire | 10 mins. Repertoire | 20 mins. Repertoire |
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