Travel & Practice | tonebase Tips
Traveling is one of the most named dreams in the 21st century. It seems that at every opportunity we are all trying to escape our normal lives, even if just for a couple of weeks, to explore the world that we live in.
But what about if your holiday is smack bang in the middle of a period of concert preparation, or if you’ve been doing a lot of practicing and don’t want travel to get in the way of your progress?
1. Assess what your goals are during this period
As is the nature of progress, we first must work out what our short term and long term goals are.
Do we have pieces that need maintenance? Are we learning something new in a short period of time or are we simply looking to retain the muscle we have already developed?
How much time will we need to achieve these goals?
I always write down the things I need to get done in a list, that way I can plan the time that I will have for work so that my practice moments are used as efficiently as possible.
As for finding time, are there moments of the day where we can create time that doesn’t take away from the point of this trip?
For instance, getting up 30 minutes earlier and staying up 30 minutes later in the evenings can add a valuable free hour which we could dedicate to practice.
2. What can you practice on holiday that you can’t practice elsewhere?
One of the best things about being away from home is the different environment and the different people we may meet.
If you are simply aiming to maintain a little practice every day, search for musicians in the area with whom you could take a lesson, concerts going on that you could attend, or even places that you could play, giving valuable performing experience in front of a crowd of people you may never see again.
Instead of trying to fit your normal experiences into this unfamiliar situation, try and see the benefits of being in a different place, you can always take those new experiences back to your practice room when you are home.
3. Enjoy your travels!
Practice is important, but don’t underestimate a rest! Mental and physical rest from playing is a priceless tool for our musical development.
If you can afford it try to take some time away from worrying about your instrument and just enjoy where you are. Life inspiration usually trumps practice room inspiration anyway!
“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” –Saint Augustine
Looking for perspectives on practicing? Below, Manuel Barrueco shares his thoughts on practicing and specifically preparing for concerts when traveling.
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About The Writer — Rosie Bennet
Born in London in 1996, Rosie started playing guitar at age seven. She received her early musical education at The Yehudi Menuhin School of Music and went on to study with Zoran Dukic (The Hague, NL), Johan Fostier (Tilburg, NL), Rene Izquierdo (Milwaukee, USA) and Raphaella Smits (Leuven, BE). She has performed in festivals all over Europe, including Open Guitar Festival in Křivoklát, Czech Republic, Glasgow’s Big Guitar Weekend, Scotland, Porziano Music Festival, Italy and the West Dean guitar Festival, UK. Highlights of her concert career include performances at Wigmore Hall, London, The North Wall, Oxford and concerts given on El Camino De Santiago.
