Music practice books
A growing collection of music practice books. From the ultimate book on how to practice Practice Makes Perfect, to other more specialised topics such as practising sight-reading, band practice and how to memorize music.
This page gives a short description of each book. Click on the book covers for a more detailed summary in a new window.
Practice Makes Perfect
One of the only music ebooks around that teaches you how to practice. The essential music book for anyone who wants to practice smarter and make more progress in less time.
Click here to read more about Practice Makes Perfect
Also available on the iBookstore and Kindle. Click on the links in the right hand column.
Lesson Notes and Practice Targets
Lesson Notes and Practice Targets is the perfect compliment for your lessons and your practice and one of the most effective practice books on the market.
The ideal solution for both teachers and students, Lesson Notes and Practice Targets provides a one-stop solution to organising practice and ensuring the teacher has the maximum time to demonstrate and support the student during lessons.
Lesson Notes and Practice Targets provides an easy-to-use format for teachers during music lessons, as well as helping students organise and evaluate their practice in a time saving way. The format also allows teachers to see quickly if certain mistakes are being repeated and support students in correcting these as early as possible. As a colleague who teaches trumpet said to me "this is probably one of the most useful music practice books around."
Schools and studios can also have their logo included on the cover free of charge when ordering 25 or more copies. Click here for more details on Lesson Notes and Practice Targets
The Inner Game of Music
The Inner Game of Music by Barry Green and W. Timothy Gallwey is one of the music practice books I constantly use in my teaching. As I wrote in my review of The Inner Game of Music on Amazon I believe this music practice book is essential reading for all musicians. It is required reading for all of my more advanced students. Read my full review here. The ideas in the book are Barry Green's musical application of Gallwey's book The Inner Game of Tennis. Green was the Principal Bassist of the Cincinnati Symphony for 28 years and is a former Executive Director of the International Society of Bassists (although this book applies to all instruments not just bass! He is now Prinicpal Bassist with the California Symphony and is active as a bass soloist and teacher.He also gives Inner Game workshops around the world so if you see he is presenting in your area drop everything and go!
The Inner Game of Music deals with how to acknowledge and overcome the internal obstacles many musicians have when performing. He uses the formula P = p - i, where P is the level of the performance, p is the potential of the performer, and i is the level of mental interference during the performance. He explains how to decrease the amount of i in order to bring the level of P as close as possible to p.
I highly recommend this book to all musicians, even if you are already play at a high level. I also recommend it to teachers to begin using some of the ideas with younger students as and when they feel they are ready for them
The Inner Game of Music is available from Amazon as a hard copy and for the Kindle. Click here for Amazon links. It is also available from The Book Depository where you get free worldwide delivery!
Expert Practice Secrets
Frustrated with your practice? Read Practice Makes Perfect and hack the 10,000 hour rule. Cut your practice time by up to 25%! Make faster progress, learn pieces and scales faster, memorize more easily, and much more. "If you play an instrument you need this book!"
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