Setting up your practice space

A good place to practice is essential if you're serious about your musical instrument. Some of the things that make a practice space work-friendly come to mind: a tuner, a music stand, enough space for your instrument and you, and adequate seating. Others are less obvious, but no less important: power outlets, temperature control, the ability to eliminate distractions, and a recording device to mark your progress.

Bear in mind that no practice space can ever be perfect—and that there is no one-size-fits-all solution for creating your music practice room. Still there are some suggestions that can help just about everyone make a space as workable as possible to practice a musical instrument.

Every personal music practice space should ideally have at least a tuner, the music you are working on, a music stand, pencils and paper, a notebook or journal, a well-maintained instrument, an instrument stand, a metronome, and you in an alert state of mind.

Metronomes can be analog or digital and can even include a tuner. Paper can be plain or printed with music staves. A journal for marking your goals and progress can be as simple as a spiral notebook or as elaborate as a digital recorder. Depending on your instrument, your seating may be a piano bench or a comfortable, armless chair—you may even stand for much of your practice.

However, consider these issues for every object you add to your practice space: will this item add to my comfort, encourage me to practice, and help eliminate distractions?

Ideally, once you set up your practice space, you can leave it set up. Having your instrument and practice aids out and ready can help lead you to play more often. However, if your circumstances do not allow for a permanent practice space, keep your necessary items in a case or container that can easily be moved to where you practice—and can easily hold just about everything you need. The next best thing to a practice space can sometimes be a "portable practice kit."

Other considerations:

Can you control the temperature in your practice space? You don't want it so hot you become drowsy or so cold you're uncomfortable.

You can never have too many electrical outlets. Include a power strip or two just in case.

Adding a tuner for your instrument is smart, important, and very helpful for effective practice.

Your music stand is important, too. Many musicians choose Manhasset stands for their sturdy construction and ease of use.

What distractions can you eliminate from your music practice space? For example, practice time is a good time to turn off your cell phone and put it in another room where it can charge. If other people live with you, make sure they know how important your practice is to you and how much you appreciate them honoring your practice time by not interrupting it.

Is external noise an issue? Do you need to avoid disturbing others? Soundproofing and vibration abatement options are available. Brass players have the choice of using a mute or a Yamaha Silent Brass instrument accessory. Yamaha also makes an assortment of silent string instruments that includes guitar, violin, cello and upright bass. There are also a number of mutes for orchestral string instruments.

Can you keep your practice space clean and uncluttered? Clutter is a major distraction and well worth eliminating whenever you can. Does your chair promote good posture and proper positioning of your instrument? Few things can contribute to effective practice as much as proper seating.

How is your lighting? Room light should be enough that reading your music is never a problem. If you are playing a keyboard, a piano light will soon repay its expense by reducing eyestrain.

Here is a tip about one of the most useful accessories you can have in your practice space: an easy-to-use digital recorder. With a recorder you will get absolutely honest feedback about your playing. You will instantly hear wrong notes, skewed rhythms, less-than-optimal phrasing and dynamics, and other digressions from what you intended to play. 

You can quickly put that feedback to use to improve your musical performance.

A good eraser and a small container for your pencils are also handy. Handiness is crucial. Don't waste time searching for items in your practice space that can better be spent on practice. Keep necessary items near at hand in the same place every time.

This is your music practice space. Use it for motivation to learn your music and to carve out more time to spend on your instrument.

Woodwind & Brasswind is proud to offer lots of items to help musicians from professional to beginner improve their practice. Many of our musical accessories ship internationally and are backed by The Woodwind & Brasswind's 110% Price Guarantee, assuring that you won't find musical practice and performance accessories at a lower price anywhere else.

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