5 Tips to Practice Effectively
The secret for any successful musician/singer is his practice/riyaz. What he does during his practice sessions and how. Practice is very crucial for any singer. Without regular practice even the greatest of the greatest singers may not be able to do justice to his singing/performance.
But how do you practice? What should you practice?
Here are some tips to make your practice sessions more effective:
- Practice basic warm up exercises: The first lesson as a carnatic music student would have been the SA-PA-SA. This by itself, is a great warm up if done in the right way. Holding on to each of these notes for a minimum of 20-30 seconds improves your sense of sruthi and also improves breath control to a great extent.
- How to start the practice session: Starting the practice session with a varnam in 3 speeds is a great way to start your practice session. Alternatively, if you know some basic warm up exercises that you have learnt from a guru, that can also be used to begin the session. Practicing the akaram is also a great start.
- Time duration: How long you should practice depends on the what you are currently learning. For any beginner level student, 1 hour of religious practice everyday helps improve your learning skills to a great extent. If you are an adult, trying to squeeze time to practice, try and include 1 hour at any time of the day.
- When should you practice : Essentially, practicing early morning between 4am to 6am is the best time of the day. However, if you are unable to practice during this time, then anytime of the day is good.
- Be mindful of what you practice: Practicing without a goal is a waste of time. Before you sit for practice, have a basic plan as to what you will be covering in the session. As a beginner student, whatever you have been taught in class should be practiced along with some revision of the older lessons taught.
Happy Practising! Happy singing!
