Book or Study on Mindful vs Mindless Practice

[Kai Hennacy]

I'm writing an essay about how a musician should approach practicing in order to most effectively improve his or her abilities over time. Specifically, I'm discussing the balance between making adjustments to playing technique and reinforcing those adjustments. I'm looking for any literature that discusses this balance.

My personal dilemma has been between finding a more versatile technique and reinforcing whatever improvement I've found (so that I can play the same way the next time I pick up the horn). I've often either tried too many different approaches and been unable to remember the one that worked best, or I've reinforced an inferior technique that I have had to unlearn in order to improve.

I've often heard that mindful repetition is the only productive repetition, but I know first hand that there can be issues when constantly thinking about a better way to play each note instead of simply repeating the way that works. Overthinking also seems to interrupt a subconscious understanding of how to play well. Thinking less is often more effective.

I'm also looking for any literature focused on the tempo of practicing, especially on how and when to play slower, to reflect on the qualities of each note, and to play faster, to rely on muscle memory, as there is limited time to reflect on each note.

[jjtrumpet]

These aren't EXACTLY what you're looking for, but here's a few books to maybe get started with.

Note Grouping- James Thurmond
Outliers- Malcolm Gladwell
Talent Code- Daniel Coyle
Sound in Motion- David McGill
Practicing Successfully- Elizabeth Green

They're all good reads regardless of whether or not they contain exactly what you're looking for

[jaysonr]

An odd recommendation: I watched a masterclass a while back where John Rommel recommended The Inner Game of Tennis.

It's on my Amazon wish-list as a result, but I haven't picked it up yet.
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[jhahntpt]

The inner game of Tennis is a phenomenal book, but yes, abstract. Thomas Sterner did a good job of applying those thoughts in his book The Practicing Mind. It's a great read as well!
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[bhipp]

I would talk to David Motto of moltomusic.com. He studies, lectures and writes extensively on this topic and variants thereof, and he's good at what he does. He's an approachable dude.

[kehaulani]

A "New Agey" book that many have found useful is Kenny Werner's "Effortless Mastery".
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[Mzony]

May I suggest seeing Tom Stevens' video on Musicianship. Makes you think about how to practice.
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Zony

[mfisher]

I just finished Josh Waitzkin's book The Art of Learning. Great book, highly recommended, 10/10.

[StupidBrassObsession]

Do you want mainstream books, or do you want scholarly info?

If you're looking for scholarly info, your first stop is:
Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance

There is quite a lot in that book regarding deliberate practice and it covers most of the theories.

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Mzony - Where is the Tom Stevens video available from? I didn't realise it was out! I checked his website and there's only a sample video.

[PH]

[tpter1]

2 books that I have found to be very inspiring and refreshing (to varying degrees) are:

The Art of Practicing by Madelin Bruser
and
The Musician's Way by Gerald Klickstein

Also inspiring is The Music Lesson by Victor Wooten.

Madeline Bruser's book is very good in addressing motivational issues, physical issues, etc. The Klickstein is a valuable resource that details very specifically varying approaches to practice habits in a very procedural manner.
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-Glenn Roberts
"Character is the backbone of human culture, and music is the flowering of human character". -Confucious

[akahntrumpet]

Super valuable resources, all. Thanks for the thread.

[KNatoli64]

I'd recommend The Alexander Technique for Musicians by Judith Kleinman and Peter Buckoke. Both are teachers at the Royal College of music and have what I think you are looking for.
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