“Practice makes perfect.” We’ve all heard it before. It’s something that is said in every situation: sports, academics, and of course, music. But not all practice is created equal. There are a number of things you can do to optimize your practice sessions. There are plenty of techniques you can use, like setting goals, focusing on technique, and working through tough spots. And while those are always important things to consider, and there are all kinds of other performance, technique, and practice tips, and this week we’re going to focus on a specific and often overlooked aspect of your practice time: your practice space.
Whether you’ve got a whole room dedicated to your music, or just a small corner, setting up your space properly can make practice time infinitely more productive. Luckily, we’ve got a few tips to make sure you get the best out of your space.
Choose the Best Spot for Your Practice Space
One would always hope to have a room completely dedicated to making music, but let’s be honest, that’s just not always possible. Many people live in small apartments, and even those with a bit more room often have that room already spoken for (children’s rooms, home offices, etc.). Regardless, your ideal practice space ought to be as secluded as you can manage. This is for a few reasons. First, others may not necessarily want to hear you practice, especially if you live in an apartment building. The second reason is that you don’t want to be listening to other people’s noise while you’re trying to play.
Once you’ve found the best area for isolating your sound, spruce the place up! Full room or small corner, your practice space should be devoted to your instrument and making music. Find a place for everything; your music, your stand, instrument, whatever. A cluttered room will be distracting and make practicing more difficult. But don’t put these things somewhere else and give yourself an excuse (albeit a lame one) to simply not practice.
Lastly, and optionally, if you are a vocalist, play a wind instrument, or just like to have a glass of water while you practice, think about keeping your space near a faucet. Nothing breaks the rhythm of a great practice session like having to go to the other side of the house whenever you need a drink.
Acoustics is Important
Acoustics is an important aspect of making music, but can be the most costly part of creating a place to play. If you have a lot of room and some money to spend there are some remarkably efficient soundproofing and other acoustical technologies available to consumers for installation in home studios. Acoustical foam comes in a wide variety of costs, sizes, and performances. If you have the ability, this is by far the best way to create the perfect place to practice and play music. If you’re not quite willing to spend that kind of money, or you are simply limited by space or other constraints, there are a few things you can do to make the best of what you have available to you.
Keeping in mind that soft surfaces mute reverberation, while hard surfaces allow sounds to resound, there are a few simple things you can do to give you the best acoustics. Get creative with it! If you like the way the kitchen sounds, then put up tile or, for a more temporary solution, plywood, to encourage the sound to bounce. If you want a more muted sound, hang rugs, towel, or curtains over hard surfaces to absorb extra sound. But try to remember that a really small room will always have a muted sound. You’ll know if the room is too small if you’re playing to a wall no matter where you face.
Extra Accoutrements
Once you’ve found your space, organized your music and instrument, and gotten the acoustics right, you might feel ready to start practicing. And you’d be almost right, but there are a few more items you might want to bring with you to really get that practice session into overdrive.
Keep a Record
First, you’ll want a notebook. Okay, it’s 2022, it doesn’t have to be a literal loose leaf notebook. You can open a document on your computer or phone, send yourself e-mails, whatever. The important thing is you have some way of keeping a record of your practice time. This will become a great resource, full of all the lessons you’ve learned. It’s a wonderful way to show progress, keep track of inspirations, and keep yourself honest about your practice time.
The second thing you might want to consider is some sort of recording device. I promise you, it isn’t narcissistic to listen to yourself practice while on your commute home from work or school. It may even be helpful! Try recording some of your practice session and listen back, both with and away from your instrument. Your brain works through problems even when you’re not consciously thinking about them, and listening to your practices later, and in another context may be just what you need to figure out a particular sticky piece.
Watch Yourself
And speaking of narcissism! It’s a pretty good idea to set up your practice space with a mirror. A mirror can be a great tool to help you with technique if you set it up so you can see what your hands are doing. For example, a pianist might put their mirror near the end of the keyboard to remind them to relax their wrists.
Keep Time
Lastly, the final bit of equipment you should have in your practice space is a metronome. Yes, that’s right, a metronome, those annoying little pendulums that click back and forth throughout nearly every childhood piano lesson. Annoying as they may be, practicing to a set tempo is a pretty important part of strengthening your sense of time. But cheer up! Now there are all kinds of mobile apps and websites that feature digital metronomes that use fun lights and much more pleasant sounds!
Closing Thoughts
Remember, the practice itself is so much more important that the place it happens in. These few tips can help optimize a space, but it you don’t utilize it, none of it will matter, and if you can practice without any of this prep, then that’s all that matters! Happy practicing!
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