To master an instrument you not only need to practice, but you need to practice in a comfortable environment. The following pointers suggest ways you can play your instrument to your heart's content without distractions and without disturbing others.
Find a Quiet Place to Learn
As good as you maybe or may become at your instrument, people will rarely like to hear you practice. Even if they don't say anything, you may find yourself worrying that they can hear you and that in itself could prevent you from getting the best out of your practice sessions. To avoid this find somewhere quiet where you can play. If you don't have a suitable place at home, you could consider hiring out a space where other people come to do the same thing. You may even be able to practise with another musical friend who has a more suitable space to practice in.
Failing this you can soundproof your practice room by sealing your doors and windows.
Find the Best Time to Practice
People often don't mind your music disturbing them if they know exactly when you intend to practice and for how long. Maybe they can arrange to be outside the house at that time or simply tolerate your playing.
Practice with Headphones
If you are playing an electrical instrument, such as a guitar, you can practice wearing a set of head phones. Headphones have the added advantage of amplifying the sound of the instrument to a very high level without anyone else hearing it.
Find the Right Conditions for Your Instruments
Temperature can have a great affect upon the sound of your instrument. For example wind instruments work better in cooler conditions. If you can't find a space that naturally produces the right temperature, you could consider purchasing in an air conditioning unit to regulate the temperature yourself.
Free Yourself From Distractions
Some people like to practice in their bedrooms, and that's fine if they are not the type of people to get easily distracted. If you find it difficult not to switch on a TV to check the latest sports results or check your phone for missed calls and messages, you should find a room where you have complete solitude. That means not TV, no computer and no phone.
Don't Practice too Long
You may have heard of the term deliberate practice. Basically this is setting yourself a set time to practice, such as one hour, and then stopping. If you can, make the practice time a duration that you know you can keep your full concentration. If you find your optimum concentration only lasts half hour work for half hour, have a break and then work another half hour. In total, experts suggests that you should not practice for more than 2 – 4 hours a day, and that includes professional musicians.
Get into a Routine
Set your yourself a routine for practising and keep to it. If you find yourself deviating from the routine you could find someone else to practice with or even practice in a band or orchestra. It is much easier to motivate yourself when you are working within a group than it is when you are working alone.
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