How to Get the Most Out of Your Practice Sessions

Practice makes perfect - that's what we're all told, right? But believe it or not, there are right ways and wrong ways to practice. Most people think that just getting their uke out every day for a few minutes and blasting through a couple of songs is good, efficient practice. However, although daily practice is good for you, there are a few things that you need to bear in mind to make sure your practice is building good habits, making good use of time, and sharpening the right skills!

In this post I'll give you some tips to make sure your practice is the best it can be!

Minimise Distractions

Create a practice space with no distractions if you're able. Your phone should be on silent, let anyone you live with know that it's your practice time, and close the door. This is such an important first step because it's all too easy to pick up your phone when it buzzes in the middle of a session, and before you know it you've lost 15 minutes of practice time to scrolling and answering messages.

Schedule Time and Make a Habit

Plan in when you're going to practice - studies have shown that scheduling in time for practice makes someone much more likely to actually do it, and sticking to that schedule helps it to become a habit. (One of these studies is linked here. This is an external link and I am not responsible for its content.)

It might not be possible to practice as long as you'd like every single day - life happens - but even 10 minutes a day is better than 1 hour once a week.

Plan and Have What You Need

I did a little experiment whilst writing this post - I did a 30 minute practice session without being ready. I didn't plan, I didn't have my music in front of me, I just started a 30 minute timer as well as 2 stopwatches - one to time my actual practice, and one to time other things like finding music, finding a backing track, etc.

It surprised me to find at the end that I had spent over a third of my practice session fiddling about, deciding what to play, finding the music, and not actually practicing. Now, 11 minutes out of 30 might not seem like much, but if I was aiming to play for 30 minute every day of the week, by the end of 7 days I would have lost out on over an hour of practice.

This shows why it is absolutely essential to have what you need ready for your session. That extra lost hour over the course of a week could be the difference between nailing that chord change and fumbling it at your next gig!

Tune Up and Warm Up

Always start your practice session by tuning up, and to get yourself into the ukulele headspace start by playing a song you know well and are comfortable with. This is a great way to warm up and feel confident about the practice session ahead.

Set Realistic Goals

So many people think that goals have to be high-flying; I want to play that Jimi Hendrix solo; I want to play Jake Shimabukuro's latest piece. But they don't have to be - if you set your bar too high, you'll feel disappointed if you don't achieve it.

Not that there's anything wrong with ambition of course, but it needs to be realistic and in steps if need be. Sitting down to say "My goal is learning this whole solo" and then attempting White Room by Cream is not realistic. Perhaps start with "I'd like to learn the first 4 bars at a lower speed," then next time it'll be the first 8, then it'll be the first 8 bars at 90% speed. These goals are realistic because they work the way we do - progressing bit by bit.

Use a Metronome

Metronomes are great tools for practice because they force you to stay in time. There are plenty of free metronome apps out there that allow you to set the speed, number of beats per bar, and even which sound you'd like if the annoying "Click click click" gets right on your nerves.

It's especially important for songs with sections you aren't confident with - every band I've played with or conducted speeds up in parts they know well, and slows down in parts they aren't comfortable with. With a metronome, it will keep you consistent, even when you fumble.

Don't Practice the Whole Thing

If there's a middle section of a song that you're struggling with, don't go back to the beginning of the song and try again. There's no point practicing the bit you're already good at - you need to work on the tricky bit!

So many people fall into the trap of "I made a mistake here, I'll go back to the beginning and try again." This is just feeding bad habits - that when you make a mistake, you stop and try again.

Instead, just isolate the part you struggle with, and practice this and only this. Slow it right down, break it down into small sections if you need to, and practice it until you've got it. Then begin to speed it up. Then put it back into the context of the whole song. That's how the professionals do it!

And just to emphasise that with its own point:

Slow Down

You don't start learning to drive at 70mph, or playing ping pong at break-neck Olympics speed. When you're practicing, slow it down as much as you need to - this gives your brain and fingers time to think and get in position for what's coming next. Only speed it back up once you're consistently getting it right, otherwise you're just practicing mistakes!

Keep a Record

A lot of people find it helpful to keep a record of what they're practicing. This is great for a number of reasons:

1. You can see how far you've come

2. You know clearly what needs work and what is done rather than repeating things

3. You can see which areas you've worked on and which you've missed - maybe you haven't done percussion in a while and have spent too much time on jazz chords for instance

If you do decide to have lessons with a ukulele teacher, it can also be really helpful for them if you keep a record. This way, you can bring any issues you're having to each lesson, and they can keep an eye on your progress.

Record Yourself

A lot of people feel very uncomfortable listening to themselves or watching themselves back, but it is such a useful tool. You'd be surprised what you don't notice while you're playing when you hear it back!

All you need is your phone - most have a voice recorder function, or you can just use the camera. Pick a couple of songs and record them. What do you notice? Keep an eye out for the following:

• Speed - are you slowing down or speeding up? Or maybe both?

• Tone - do you get dead strings or buzz?

• Chords - are they right, and do they change in the right places?

• Posture - are you tense and uptight, or relaxed? Are you holding the ukulele right?

Stay Calm

This is a point that even I could do with bearing in mind more! If you are getting frustrated with a

piece, leave it alone for now. Either stop your practice session for a while, or move on to playing something you are comfortable with. Frustration leads to tension and lack of concentration, which in turn leads to more mistakes. Move on before you find you've thrown your uke out of the window!

How to Get the Most Out of Your Practice Sessions

A long list, I know. But these really are important for making sure your practice sessions are a good use of time and are getting you closer to your goals.

If you have any other tips that you'd like to share, leave them in the comments below!