Every musician who wants to improve should always include music recording as part of their regular practice schedule. If you are not doing this, you are really missing one of the best tools for music improvement available.
As a euphonium player with over 30 years experience, I have always been amazed at the different playing standards amongst musicians. Why is there such a difference in playing abilities and why do some people not improve very quickly even though they may practice a lot? I have been fortunate to work with some great musicians including some of the best euphonium players in the world (it is a small community and many of us know each other) and I have often discussed these issues with them. Here is a summary of the answers I received together with some of my own research on this topic. In summary, you need the best teacher you can afford, you should practice efficiently (not just practice) and you should try home music recording to identify your own strengths and weaknesses as a player. Here's each item in more detail.
1) Get the best teacher you can afford. This applies to almost any activity you can think off, but is surprising how many people overlook this critical step. You have to get the basic playing fundamentals right as soon as possible because it is very difficult to correct poor technique and habits later on.
2) Practice often, but practice efficiently. Your teacher should be able to help you here. You should incorporate the fundamental techniques for your particular instrument into your practice schedule and not just concentrate on the fun stuff (this comes later). For example, for brass instruments you should incorporate a warm-up, long notes (for sound and tone development), tonguing (for articulation), range, breath control, fingering, mixed intervals, sight reading etc into each practice schedule as well as your performance pieces. Then you can try the fun stuff. You will get much more enjoyment when you can play the fun stuff better!
3) Record yourself so that you can identify your strength and weaknesses. I can guarantee that if you have never tried home music recording before, you will be amazed at what you hear. You will hear aspects of your playing that were completely unaware of before because you were too busy concentrating on the music and the mechanics of playing to really,really listen. It can be a bit of a shock at first, but it is a great learning experience because you can hear your strengths and weaknesses and this is the first step along the road to improvement. Compare your recordings to those of professionals playing the same piece and listen for the differences in overall phrasing, sound, intonation and general musicianship. This is a great way to improve your own performance. By recording yourself regularly, you can even monitor your improvement as you go along.
Fortunately, there are now many very high quality, low cost portable digital audio recorders available so it is very easy to record yourself and hear the fine detail of your playing. Not only can the recording quality exceed CD quality, but it is easy to download the files to a computer for further editing so that you can produce CDs or e-mail mp3 files to your teacher and friends. Many of the recorders feature high density memory cards so that you can store lots of high quality music. They also can have built in tools such as metronome, tuners and variable playback speeds so that you can slowdown or speed up the music without affecting the pitch. This is great when you are learning a new tune. Some recorders even have the ability to do multi-track recording so that you can play all the parts to duets, trios, quartets or even larger groups. All this packed into a recorder which can fit easily into the palm of your hand.
Band directors/conductors/group leaders can also benefit from these tools. If you record the practice session and then listen to the playback after the rehearsal, you will hear things that you were not conscious of at the rehearsal. You can then record a 'voice-over' on top of the recording to send out to your band members so that they are better prepared for the upcoming rehearsal. This is a great way to increase the efficiency of your rehearsals.
These are just some of the reasons why all musicians can benefit from home music recording. High quality portable digital audio recorders are readily available and they won't cost you a fortune. So go ahead, start recording your music and see how quickly you improve.
Jeff Binns is a euphonium player with over 30 years experience. He has played in some of the top brass bands in the UK and USA. My goal is to help fellow musicians understand the outstanding benefits of recording their practice sessions.
To learn more and to obtain 10 Free Practice Tips, please visit my website by clicking the link below.
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