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As your career progresses, the day to day of being a musician and running your business gets to be a lot of work. So much so that actually playing music can become a secondary priority. As I’m writing this, I have my year-end taxes spread out on the floor, and it’s stressing me out. Despite the stress (and mess) that’s scattered around my workspace, I practiced today. Ultimately, you’re a musician and you need to play and improve.
I believe that maintaining a regular practice schedule improves every aspect of your career – your music, your business, your mental well being, everything. Essentially, my reasoning is this: you practice, you improve, you make better music, your music appeals to more people, your business improves, and so on.
Also, making music is fun.
So here are my four ways to keep yourself interested in practice.
1. Set goals and deadlines
Much like my taxes have a deadline, I set deadlines for my personal practice. Obviously, these are flexible because there are no real-world consequences for not meeting them, but they help keep me focused.
Lately, I’ve been recording myself playing along to different songs, trying to match groove, tone, etc. Making a goal of recording a performance and an accompanying video every week has been very fun and rewarding, even if I never show it to anyone.
Having deadlines makes practice more like a "job." Except it’s better than a job. It’s music!
2. Structure your practice differently every week
I’ve written before about how I structure my practice using a practice journal and making the most of my time. I still believe this is the best way to make the most of your practice time.
However, I admit that this can result in practice time that always feels the same. I don’t think the answer lies in abandoning scheduled practice; I think it lies in changing up the structure of your practice every week.
Not only does doing this keep me interested, but it also allows me to keep practice flexible as my goals change and gigs change week to week. If you start your practice with technique, try putting it in the middle instead. If you end your session with jamming over a track, try starting with that instead!
[How to Motivate Yourself to Practice, Even When You Don’t Want To]
3. Record demos of original or cover material
One of my favorite ways to practice is to record myself. Recording yourself allows you to understand exactly how you sound. You can hear every subdivision, every little flub. It’s good for your playing, but not necessarily your self-esteem.
If you’re writing original music, I believe you should be creating demos. It allows you to be more prepared for your next album and see what can be done with a song. It doesn’t need to be complicated; I've made full demos with live drums using one $90 mic and an interface with one input. If you can’t do live drums, use loops. No bass? Use your guitar or keyboard.
The very act of writing a song and taking it through full instrumentation is incredibly good for your creative muscles. If you’re not writing original music, make demos of cover songs. Try to match the musician’s exact feel, exact tone, exact groove – or don’t! What matters is the attention to detail that's applied in a recording setting.
Once you’re all done, you have the option of releasing it to the world. I recommend that you do this, even if you’re nervous about it. Music is meant to be heard, and putting it out in the form of a video or SoundCloud takes the process full circle.
[3 Tips for Recording Your Best Demo]
4. Collaborate with a friend
If your practice is really feeling stagnant, invite a friend over to change things up.
I’m in a band that was literally made to work on our chops. We would get together in the drummer’s home studio, throw headphones on, and work on a groove. We recorded it, so when we felt like it was good enough, we listened to it and heard what was really going on. It’s an extremely fun way to practice, and it’s very effective if you have a group of musicians who are serious about making better music.
5. Keep it up – it’s worth it
Sticking to a practice schedule is hard. By keeping it interesting, you’re doing your musical self a favor. I believe you’ll find yourself more confident onstage, more relaxed on a day-to-day basis, and you’ll even end up enjoying music more.
Hit the woodshed, and I’ll see you on the other side!
Liam Duncan is a full-time musician from Winnipeg, Canada. He likes to record music with friends and tour with The Middle Coast.
