Mindless Practice

When practicing an instrument it is important to be mindful, efficient, organized, and set goals. This type of practice is what we should aim to do on a daily basis in order to improve at our instrument. Not all practice sessions need to be this meticulous! Try a few sessions of mindless practice each week as well.

What is mindless practice? Mindless practice is practicing our instrument while not focusing on it entirely. It is a great way to work on small techniques, muscle memory, or to work on repetitive motion on your instrument.

When are opportunities to try mindless practice?
1. Watching TV/Netflix 2. Walking 3. Waiting for the bus 4. A long car ride

Mindless practicing is something I take advantage of quite often. During my college years, I had a 10-minute walk to my math class, three days a week. As a student, I always kept a pair of mallets in my bag. On my ten-minute walks, I would pull a mallet out of my bag and practice my interval shifting. 10 minutes to class, and 10 minutes back to the music building. 20 minutes a day, three times a week. By the end of each week I practice my interval shifting for one hour outside of my usual practice time. This was a mindless exercise I could do on the go, to train my muscle memory on interval positions for four mallet playing.

The next time you are watching Netflix or a passenger on a car ride, try some mindless practice. Practicing a tricky finger shift, memorizing music away from your instrument, breathing exercises, get creative! Any technique that does not require you to make a sound and requires repetitive motion can be a good candidate for mindless practice. You will start to notice all of the mindless practice time adds up and will allow you to focus on other bigger issues in your meticulous practice sessions.