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8 Things Top Practicers DoDiferentlySeptember 28, 2014 by Dr. Noa Kageyama 48 omments 

1!."#410112$s my #i%s &ere 'begr(%gingly) practicing their Tae K&on Do patterns theother night, * ca(ght mysel+ telling my ol%est that he ha% to %o his pattern-e times be+ore ret(rning to his -i%eo game.

y goal, o+ co(rse, &as not +or him to go thro(gh the motions o+ his pattern-e times li#e a po(ty /ombie, b(t to %o it one time &ith goo% +orm an%a(thority. (t the parent in me n%s it -ery reass(ring to #no& that a certainn(mber o+ repetitions or time has gone into something. eyon% the'erroneo(s) ass(mption that this &ill a(tomagically soli%i+y his s#ills

someho&, it +eels li#e a path to greater %iscipline, an% a &ay to instill &ithinmy #i%s some sort o+ &or# ethic that &ill ser-e them &ell in the +(t(re.

Some %egree o+ time an% repetition is necessary to %e-elop an% hone o(rs#ills, o+ co(rse. (t &e also #no& on some int(iti-e le-el that to maimi/egains, &e o(ght to practice smarter, not har%er.3

(t &hat the hec# %oes that really mean any&ay 5hat exactly  %o toppracticers %o %iferently

Pianists learning Shosta#o-ich$ gro(p o+ researchers le% by 6obert D(#e o+ The 7ni-ersity o+ Teas at$(stin con%(cte% a st(%y se-eral years ago to see i+ they co(l% tease o(t thespecic practice beha-iors that %isting(ish the best players an% mostefecti-e learners.

Se-enteen piano an% piano pe%agogy maors agree% to learn a 9:meas(repassage +rom Shosta#o-ich;s Piano oncerto No. 1. The passage ha% sometric#y elements, ma#ing it too %i<c(lt to sight rea% &ell, b(t not so

challenging that it co(l%n=t be learne% in a single practice session.

 The set(p

 The st(%ents &ere gi-en t&o min(tes to &arm (p, an% then pro-i%e% &iththe 9:meas(re ecerpt, a metronome, an% a pencil.

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Participants &ere allo&e% to practice as long as they &ante%, an% &ere +reeto lea-e &hene-er they +elt they &ere nishe%. Practice time -arie% >(ite abit, ranging +rom 8 1?2 min(tes to (st (n%er "@ min(tes.

 To ens(re that the net %ay=s test &o(l% be +air, they &ere specically tol%

that they may NAT practice this passage, e-en +rom memory, in the net 24ho(rs.

24 ho(rs laterB

5hen participants ret(rne% the +ollo&ing %ay +or their test, they &ere gi-en 2min(tes to &arm (p, an% then as#e% to per+orm the complete 9:meas(repassage in its entirety &itho(t stopping, 1" times '&ith pa(ses bet&eenattempts, o+ co(rse).

Cach o+ the pianists= per+ormances &ere then e-al(ate% on t&o le-els.etting the right notes &ith the right rhythm &as the primary criteria, b(tthe researchers also ran#e% each o+ the pianists= per+ormances +rom best to&orst, base% on tone, character, an% epressi-eness.

 That le% to a +e& interesting n%ingsE

1. Practicing longer %i%n=t lea% to higher ran#ings.

2. etting in more repetitions ha% no impact on their ran#ing either.

9. The n(mber o+ times they playe% it correctly in practice also ha% nobearing on their ran#ing.

5hat did matter &asE

1. Fo& many times they playe% it incorrectly. The more times they playe%it incorrectly, the &orse their ran#ing ten%e% to be.

2. The percentage o+ correct practice trials %i% seem to matter. The

greater the proportion o+ correct trials in their practice session, thehigher their ran#ing ten%e% to be.

 The top 8 strategies

 Three pianists= per+ormances stoo% o(t +rom the rest, an% &ere %escribe% asha-ing more consistently e-en tone, greater rhythmic precision, greater

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things %o&n to get tric#y sections correctH or spee%e% things (p to testthemsel-es, b(t not too m(ch).

8. Target passages &ere repeate% (ntil the error &as correcte% an% thepassage &as stabili/e%, as e-i%ence% by the error=s absence in s(bse>(ent

trials.

5hat=s the common threa% that ties these together

 The researchers note that the most stri#ing %iference bet&een the top threepianists an% the rest, &as how they handled mistakes. *t=s not that the toppianists ma%e +e&er mista#es in the beginning an% simply ha% an easier timelearning the passage.

 The top pianists ma%e mista#es too, b(t they manage% to correct their errors

in s(ch a &ay that helpe% them a-oi% ma#ing the same mista#es o-er an%o-er, lea%ing to a higher proportion o+ correct trials o-erall.

$n% one to r(le them all

 The top per+ormers (tili/e% a -ariety o+ error:correction metho%s, s(ch asplaying &ith one han% alone, or playing (st part o+ the ecerpt, b(t there&as one strategy that seeme% to be the most impact+(l.

Slowing things down.

$+ter ma#ing a mista#e, the top per+ormers &o(l% play the passage again,b(t slo& %o&n or hesitate J &itho(t stopping J right be+ore the place &herethey ma%e a mista#e the pre-io(s time.

 This seeme% to allo& them to play the challenging section more acc(rately,an% pres(mably coor%inate the correct motor mo-ements at a tempo theyco(l% han%le, rather than contin(ing to ma#e mista#es an% +ailing to i%enti+ythe precise nat(re o+ the mista#e, the (n%erlying technical problem, an%&hat they o(ght to %o %iferently in the net trial.

$n% i+ this so(n%s -ag(ely +amiliar, yo( might recall that a bas#etball  st(%y +o(n% something -ery similar in the practice habits o+ top +ree thro&shootersB

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