Utilising the voice in aid of practice

Utilising the voice in aid of practice, focusing on brass

It is my opinion that we can rush into practice focusing too much on the instrument and not the music, therefore limiting the quality of the work and decreasing stamina in the process. To combat this, I recommend singing or miming through the music that one is about to play for a number of reasons.

The first reason is that the voice is the most natural of all instruments and it is usually truthful in that way, so when we sing the way in which we think a phrase should be shaped, it is usually the most accurate and musical – far more so than most first attempts on the instrument. Often it is very revealing how far away the sung version is to the played one at first! Doing this before physically using your instrument can therefore save a lot of wasted practice time and increase stamina for the period of your practice routine as I believe there will then be a clearer and more concise approach in the way in which you continue practising.

As well as helping with stamina and shaping/direction, it can also give you a clearer idea of where to breathe in the piece you are playing whether it be a study or a concerto. The crucial thing is that you don’t have to be a great singer, you just have to listen to the line (meaning essentially crescendo/diminuendo and timing) that your voice creates.