Practice routine
Good musicians build up their skills and technique in the same way an athlete builds up muscles and stamina. Without regular practice your skills are unlikely to improve. It is also important to make sure your practice is focused and useful.
When to practise
Ideally you should practise every day. This may be one sesson of 15-30 minutes or two short sessions to fit in around your daily routine.
If possible, timetable your practice for the same time every day so it becomes a habit. The more you practise the more effective your muscle memory will be and the easier it will become to play your instrument.
National 5 music requires you to perform on two instruments, so make sure you give equal practice time to each.
If you do one session per day, you should alternate days for each instrument.
Where to practise
Practice should take place in a quiet place without distractions from television, computers or other people.
There must be room to lay your music out, preferably on a music stand and you should have enough room to comfortably hold and play the instrument with no restrictions.
Make sure the temperature of the room is correct. This will ensure the instrument stays in tune and that you will be physically comfortable as you practise.
How to practise
Think of your piece of music in sections and phrases, breaking it down into smaller chunks.
Focus on one or more of these chunks during a practice session.
If you cannot play the piece, ask someone else to play it for you and record them on your phone or tablet so you can listen back.
Don't always start at the beginning of your music, trying to play it through. This will make you bored and less likely to want to practise.
For variety you can use a practice session to work on the last chunk of a piece so you know what the ending sounds like. This is a good way to build up the form and layout of the piece and to understand how the musical phrases relate to each other.
At the end of a practice session, play through everything you have worked on to understand what progress you have made.
Scottish Symphony Orchestra performers on how best to approach practice
