How ‘Slowly, Separately, Sections’ Can Help You Play Better

The three ‘S’s? So what do we mean by that. Will if we had to recommend one formula for success, it would be this one: ‘Slowly, Separately, Sections’. Practice at a snail’s pace, if not slower, and start off in small sections that you repeat. Repetition will form habits.

I like one bar plus one note, repeated at least three times. Then start from the next bar (from the note you have just ended on) and repeat that three times. As you get more familiar with the notes, you can increase the length of the sections. Practicing with each hand alone is also indispensable, especially the left hand. When you work like this, you need to listen intently and constantly evaluate your results as right or wrong, even or uneven, comfortable or uncomfortable, and so on. Learn to be your own teacher.