Practice Techniques?

Question:I am a sophmore in high school who takes lessons from the percussion professor at the University of Northern Colorado. Any suggestions on how to practice more efficiently? Also I am a really busy guy and I just need some good suggestions on when to practice. Thanks!

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I am a sophmore in high school who takes lessons from the percussion professor at the University of Northern Colorado. Any suggestions on how to practice more efficiently? Also I am a really busy guy and I just need some good suggestions on when to practice. Thanks!

i'm a violinist, but i suppose that practicing techniques are universal among musicians. No?

If you are in a crunch for time, try practicing "smart"
what do i mean by smart?
well only practice those passages in you music which are the most difficult for you. Don't waste time by playing all your easy pieces.
practice slow. if you can play something slowly perfectly (i mean PERFECTLY) then you can play it fast guaranteed.
use a timer. time your self in 5-10 min segments and see how much you can get done.

how this helps a bit :]
happy practicing.

try to be alone when you practice...at least in the beginning.. then bring in one friend at a time to hear what they think. if all yoru friends are together when they sample you..you wont get honest remarks.

well, its sound like your starting. and its crucial that you dont waste your time. try this execersice:

R-Right Hand L-Left Hand

RRLRRLRL-if you have a drum set or a snare as you say or the marimba, then first do it all in the snare. do it until youcan do it pretty fast. then, switch the order( R=l, L=R ) then in the marimba, keep the the left hand in the original order, but the right hand switch it around reamb]domly to another key. when you can do that, do both hands switching keys, then all of the strokes raqmdomly but in order.

The key to practicing more efficiently is to plan your practice session based on the amount of time that you have to spend. For example, if you have 30 minutes to practice, you could possibly spend 5 minutes running scales on the marimba, 5 minutes practicing a couple of rudiments open to close, 15 minutes for etude studies, and the final 5 minutes could be spent on playing something familiar and enjoyable.

The key is to manage your time.

Practice what you can't play well already. Spend time on the necessities instead of breezing through things that are being played wrong.

Break things down into small tidbits. Slow down and gradually speed back up to tempo.

Plan your practice!