Years ago I read a study that was conducted with a group of violin students. It revealed something very interesting about practice habits that I’ve applied to the way I train my own students.
The researchers divided the violinists into two groups. The first group was to practice in large blocks of time, say 30 minutes on a single item, then 30 minutes on the next item and so on.
The second group was instructed to practice the same items, but to practice them in short intervals – 3 to 6 minutes at most.
You would naturally assume the people who spent more time on a single item would outperform the people who practiced the same item in short intervals.
You’d also be wrong.
Over time they were surprised to find that the students who practiced in short intervals made more progress and retained more of what they practiced.
It’s counterintuitive, but that’s what the research revealed.
I’ve adopted this technique (I call it the 4-Minute Drill), and while my experience is not scientific, I’d say it works.
Try it out. Pick 2-4 items to practice, set a timer for 4 minutes, and switch when the timer goes off.
The only word of caution – you might feel like you’re just getting into the groove when the timer rings. Don’t let that stop you. Just keep rotating between your items. Spend a good chunk of time on it, 40-60 minutes.
If nothing else, I think you’ll find it helps you stay focused on what you’re practicing, and that in and of itself will help you progress faster.
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