When I started learning cello, I quickly realized how sensitive the instrument is. If I had too much coffee or felt rushed or tense, it would transfer into my playing and the bow would skip, chatter and squeak. This forced me to either get frustrated and give up or learn to relax and center myself before playing.
Incorporating calmness during practice turned out to be not only better for my practice but also for my general well-being. After all, music is supposed to be pleasant and healing, yet a lot of times it’s busy, stressful and taxing. So I thought it would be useful to share some ways that anyone, with any skill level and instrument can bring calmness and replenishment into their routine
Warm up by settling down
Before you play a single note, spend a moment doing some simple breathing exercises, grounding, meditations, or any other kind of relaxing and calming routine that works for you. Sip some tea, stretch, or go for a walk beforehand.
Check back in
Maintain a relaxed mindset while you practice. It’s easy to get swept up during practice. You have to keep checking in with yourself and remember to relax those shoulders, breathe, smile, then get back to it. Eventually you build a habit out of this and it becomes natural to get back to base.
Sound is healing
As hippy-dippy as it sounds, sometimes my favorite thing to do is just play long notes and listen to the sound. I do this a lot with cello. The sound of the instrument itself is relaxing. Strum a chord you like and let it ring out, listen to how the sound slowly fades. Pick or bow an open string and feel how the whole instrument vibrates. Don’t be so consumed in technique and skill that you miss out on enjoying your instrument’s sound.
Practice with a drone
A drone is basically a backing track that plays a single note or chord. It sounds more boring than it actually is. YouTube has tons of different options for different keys, just search “drone backing track (insert key or note)”. I recommend practicing scales, or improvising with a scale with a drone track. If you’re learning C major, just insert “C major” or “C” into the search phrase.
Listen to music
Before or after practice, get into the mindset by listening to music you like. Lay or sit for a while, relax, calm a busy mind. You can actually do this without practicing before or after, the idea is just to use music for your self-care time.
Discipline
In a world of instant gratification, sometimes the best treat we can give ourselves is a good ol’, hard-earned achievement. The “feel-good” part of this comes after the work. Integrate discipline into your practice by setting goals, sticking to them, and walking away with a good sense of accomplishment and self-esteem. You deserve it. Set a goal to practice regularly, learn an entire song, memorize a scale.
I hope this has at least a fraction of the impact on your routine as it did on mine. Incorporating these methods made my playing much more enjoyable, and it also allowed me to utilize my practice time as wellness time, killing two birds with one stone. Or rather, feeding two birds with one hand, if we’re going for positivity.
J Holguin Music 