From Mei, our youngest builder and a working teacher.
1. Practice slowly
If you can't play it perfectly at 60bpm, you can't play it perfectly at 180bpm. Slow practice is the only practice that builds permanent muscle memory.
2. Use a metronome from day one
Even ten minutes a day with a click will change your playing more than two hours without one.
3. Record yourself once a week
The phone in your pocket is enough. You will hate the recordings. That's the point.
4. Learn one song a month, end to end
Drills are necessary but boring. Songs are the reason you're practicing.
5. Don't buy expensive sticks too early
Until you've worn through a few pairs of beginners' sticks, you won't feel the difference. When you do, come find us.
Filed in Bench Notes · Written at our workshop on Seward Street, Evanston, IL.
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