If you’re among the thousands who have taken action to translate their musical aspirations into musical talent through violin lessons, congratulations are in order. While learning to play the violin is a very challenging undertaking, it is exceptionally rewarding, particularly if you can maintain a regular practice schedule and remain enthusiastic about your playing.
One of the best ways to make sure you get your money’s worth out of your violin lessons is to record your practice sessions and performances. It may sound a bit unusual at first (after all, you’re not a professional musician, so why would you record your playing, right?), but recording your violin practices will improve both your skill and your motivation.
Here’s how.
First, being human, you will immediately notice all the “negative” aspects of your playing. You’ll hear the mistakes in tone and tempo, and you’ll also begin to notice areas where your playing may be technically correct but somewhat uninspired. That’s a positive thing, provided you immediately practice those areas you’ve identified as sub-par. Record yourself practicing them, and you’ll undoubtedly notice improvement within even a single practice session.
That leads us to the second benefit of recording your playing, which is increased motivation. Nothing motivates like success, so hearing yourself play well, and hearing tangible improvement in your playing as you practice trouble areas, will help sustain your motivation during those times when you don’t feel you’re making any progress.
It also works long-term as well. You will undoubtedly experience times when you feel your practicing doesn’t result in much improvement, but listening to your performances from months (or even years) earlier will be a great way to illustrate to yourself just how far you’ve come.
The software you choose to record your playing doesn’t matter a great deal (I use Apple Studio 9). The only thing that matters is that you do it consistently for maximum improvement.
