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Fun Ways To Practice

by Anton Krutz

Are you getting bored of going through the same practice routine every day? Below is a list of ways to make your practice a little more exciting while still helping you develop useful skills!


  1. Sightread something new along with a recording:

Print out a piece that you’ve never played before–or maybe never even heard–and find a good recording of it to play along with. This allows you to practice your sightreading skills in a low-stakes situation, and it lets you explore a new piece!


  1. Tune your strings down a whole step or two and play a piece you’re working on in a different position:

This method can help you practice shifting on the spot and playing in different positions. If you’re not comfortable tuning your instrument down, try playing sections of your piece in different positions (even if it doesn’t work well, it can help you learn the finger patterns for different notes in position).


  1. Improvise:

Choose a key and play around with different intervals to create your own melody!


  1. Play your favorite pop songs by ear:

This will help you develop your note recognition.


  1. Play with the wrong rhythm:

Playing the melody of your piece with the wrong rhythm can help you learn and memorize the notes, and it can actually help to learn the right rhythm (because it sounds so strange!).


  1. Play with a video of your favorite soloist and try to mimic them exactly:

If you are working on a solo piece, find your favorite recording of it and play one  small section at a time, then mimic the recording yourself. Every time you don’t sound just like the recording, ask yourself what is different and how you can fix it.


  1. Play the dynamics too extremely:

It can be hard to play dynamics dramatically. To work on playing clear dynamics, try practicing the dynamics ridiculously over-the-top. Then, when you go back to playing them regularly, it will be much easier to create dynamic contrast.


  1. Learn something really easy, really well and perform it for family or friends:

You could learn something as simple as “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” and work as hard as you can to perfect every note. If something doesn’t sound quite right, work on it until it does. When you feel as if you’ve polished it to the best of your ability, try to play a perfect performance!


Hopefully these creative ways to practice help you to enjoy your practice sessions and grow as a musician. Good luck with your practice! If you have any additional questions, feel free to reach out: info@kcstrings.com



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