Josh Bledsoe

1. You Dont Practice Enough

This is fairly obvious. If you aren’t getting better, the problem could very well be that you arent practicing enough. At some point, your level of proficiency will require that you take a certain amount of work to maintain your abilities, and then extra work to get better.

2. You Practice Too Much

Practicing taxes the muscles of the face. If you are practicing many hours a day and not getting better it is likely that you are not giving your body adequate time to recover from the previous practice day. I like to use the example of a bodybuilder. If someone is working in the gym many hours a day, but is eating poorly and only getting a few hours of quality rest at night, then their body will not be able to fully recover from the workout. This leads to working a muscle that is constantly in a state of disrepair.

Note: Practicing too much is not a terribly common problem.

If you are practicing many hours a day, keep a few simple things in mind..

• Get plenty of sleep. The body needs time to repair itself.
• Eat Well. Give your body the nutrients it needs to repair itself.
• Rest more between your practice sessions
• Pair taxing music with exercises that are less taxing. (Example: pairing Bolero with the “Organ” Symphony)
• Practice in shorter, but more frequent sessions. If you are practicing a lot, you may need to do 6-10 thirty minute sessions instead of 4-5 hour sessions.

3. Practicing Without Purpose

Make sure that you are practicing with a purpose in mind. Mindlessly running through etudes, solos and excerpts without attention to the things upon which you would like to improve will tax your chops, but not necessarily make you any better.

4. You Arent Challenging Yourself

Its very easy to get in a “groove” with your practice. Challenge yourself! Play higher, lower, louder, softer, faster, slower, etc. Challenging yourself does not only mean higher and faster! You can challenge yourself to play with a bigger sound, smoother connections, clearer articulations, etc.

5. Not Keeping Records

Progress is made where progress is measured. If you are trying to improve the speed of your single tongue, but you haphazardly pick practice tempi, then you may never improve. Keeping records lets you know where you are, and ensures that you are not wading in stale water.

6. Your Daily Routine Needs Attention

The daily routine is the most intimate time you have with your instrument. The daily routine contains the building blocks to becoming a great musician. Even the greatest basketball players in the world still practice their free throws every day.

7. You Arent Consistent

If you are not consistent with your practice, you might well be taking one step forward and two steps back. Practicing an hour everyday will be better for your progress than practicing two hours every few days.

8. Ignoring Your Deficiencies

Its easy to practice things  at which we are already proficient. Spend time practicing the things you know need attention. It may not be pretty at first, but in the long run you will thank yourself.

9. No Concept

If you dont know how you should sound, its very difficult to work towards a better sound. Listen to recordings and attend concerts. Having a great model goes a long way, as we will naturally correct things based on how we want to sound. It is much like asking an artist to draw something they have never seen.

10. You Aren’t Having FUN!

Make sure you are enjoying your practice. Add in something that might seem like “funsy” playing. Make the “funsy” playing something on which you can continue to improve. For example, maybe there is a popular song on the radio that you enjoy. Trying learning that tune by ear. Then try playing that song in a few different keys. The song might be simple, but learning the song by ear and learning it in several keys will improve your muscianship.

Bonus (because 11 just isnt as catchy!): You Arent Practicing Intelligently

Playing Bolero for an hour straight just isn’t an intelligent use of your time or your chops. Make sure you are using your time wisely and covering all of your musical bases. Practicing lip slurs for an hour is great, but if you are ignoring other elements of your playing in the process, you are going to experience diminishing returns.

There are many reasons that one might not be improving, or might not be improving at the rate they would like. These are just a few. Take an inventory of your practice, and you might find there are things that you know are holding you back. Good Luck!