Songwriting Habit : Practice, Practice, Practice

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-to-practice-effectively-for-just-about-anything-annie-bosler-and-don-greene Mastering any physical skill takes practice. Practice is the repetition of an action with the goal of improvement, and it helps us perform with more ease, speed, and confidence. But what does practice actually do to make us better at things?

Writing a song.

Performing a song

Recording a song

All takes practise. This video explains how important it is for musicians, and anyone developing a skill, to practice their craft. What is important to note is the type of practice. Not just practice, but EFFECTIVE practise, or QUALITY practice. That is where you focus on the areas that need improving and practice those.

So…

1. If you are performing a song, you can focus on the part of the song you are struggling with…slow it down and really take the time to understand and learn the skill needed to improve your skill in that section.

2. If you are writing a song take the section you are stuck at and practice developing the ideas you need to improve such as the melody or the chord arrangement or perhaps it is the lyrics.

3. If you are recording take each step separately and practice using midi, or getting a clean audio sound..

The more you develop your own effective practice techniques, you will find that your level of skill and understanding will not only improve, but also become a great learning habit.