Practice
Smarter
practical advice for adult, self-taught musicians
Play Happier
Fabulous! The kind of book every musician will enjoy.
Judy makes us want to apply her methods, often right after reading a sentence.
Liz Carroll, American fiddler
and composer
A book to be read and
re-read. Invaluable to
musicians of any musical
style.
Indie Reader
Love ❤️ Love ❤️ Love ❤️ this book!!!
JR, reader and musician
Practicing is a Practice
Make practicing a joyful activity you do for its own sake. Learn practical techniques to become happier with your own playing.
Uses Neuroscience
Other books talk about neuroscience. Best Practice has neuroscience baked in! Short chapters are easy to read. Each has a simple idea with a short summary to help you focus.
image ©Stewart Dean, imagovitae.org
Readable, Practical,
Inspiring, Empowering
Combines practical advice from the best music teachers with techniques from neuroscience, mindfulness and martial arts
For Any Musician, Genre, Instrument, Skill Level
A comprehensive guide to practicing that’s presented in small, clear, achievable steps.
A boon to players everywhere. A wealth of exceptionally useful advice for musicians of any level.
Kevin Burke,
Irish master fiddler
Best Practice helped me become a better musician, father and husband.
Tom L, reader and musician
A godsend! I highly recommend it for all musicians, regardless
of instrument, level or style.
Mary Flower, award-winning guitarist and educator
The world’s longest buffet for hungry, thirsty musicians. This book really is a gem.
"Arpeggio Garden", Amazon reviewer and musician
This Book is Different
A New Chapter for Each Day
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Best Practice has short chapters.
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Each chapter offers a single concept or idea.
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Some teach specific practice techniques.
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Others address the mind game of creativity and practice.
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Some chapters are about ensuring your body provides the most effective support for your playing.
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You might read one when you sit down to practice, or one a week, or whenever you want.
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You can read them in order, but you don't have to.
Structured for Deep Learning
In order to learn deeply and permanently, we need to absorb new material in small quantities. We need time to try ideas, practice with them in mind, and even forget about them and come back to them later.
Musical mastery is achieved through incremental progress. We may not notice a change after just one day's practice. Improvement happens over weeks, months and years. This book is written for you to grow the way you need as a musician: in small, regular measures.
A Single Focus For Each Session
Each chapter ends with an intention that sums up the ideas in the chapter. In the practice of yoga, teachers often use an intention to help students focus as they practice. This works amazingly well in music too!