Boot Camp



Boot camp is a practice technique where you'll take passages that have been giving you a hard time, and go and give them a hard time.

This means you must stop all other practice temporarily, while you focus all your energies on this one problem. Throw at it every practice technique you know.

Some practice techniques you can try are:
1. With the metronome
2. Without the metronome
3. At half speed
4. At full speed
5. Seven times in a row with no mistakes
6. With the music
7. Without the music
8. With eyes closed
9. Recording the section
10. Write out the section
11. With dynamics
12 With accents on every 2nd note

Anyway, you get the idea. If you need more practice techniques, I suggest reading Practiceopedia by Phillip Johnston. It is a massive 376 page illustrated encyclopedia of practice techniques, trick, tips and traps that every music student should know.

Click on the title for more information on this book.

With all this attention, it's going to be almost impossible for the trouble section not to improve.

Once the section is behaving itself better, you can reintroduce it to the rest of the piece, and resume your regular practice.

Please note that Boot Camp practice technique is only designed to rectify lack of attention given to the problem section. It is not designed to fix deeper flaws.