Failing to remember is the primary reason for most performers' poor practising habits.
The most valuable practice aid is patience.
It is the height of professionalism to be able to make an ordinary piece of music sound good. When playing routine melodic studies the player must treat them as if they are musical value.
The underlying aim of practice . .is to create certainty through the development of high-quality listening.
As soon as effective listening takes place, the ear identifies what needs to be done and guides the techniques search for a solution
There is a direct parallel in the way that we speak, with natural variations of pitch and volume that give full meaning to our words. This is what is missing in the words on the page of a book, and the notes on the score.
Good listening is always the first step in the process that creates technique and capability
. . when the initial excitement of playing starts to evaporate, good habits are needed to sustain the learning process.
Sound is not simply what we hear or play, but equally a feeling in the body
