All of us struggle to fit in our saxophone practice from time to time.
And it doesn’t make you feel good to miss a session.
The thing is though, with the right strategy, you can still have a productive practice session with only a few minutes to play. You just need to approach your practice in the right way!
My 3 step practice strategy
In this video I break down the three essential elements for a productive saxophone practice session. By including all three of these in every session, you will always make progress on your sax. Even if you only have 5 minutes spare!
The mistake most people make is deciding not to practice when they are short of time.
Don’t be that guy!
Let me break it down for you:
Step 1 – Something technical
The first element of every successful practice session is some sort of technical practice. It could be scales, but you might be more effective if you work on a slow melody so you can also focus on tone. Intervals are also a great idea here. If you are short of time, use exercises that combine skills like tone control and dexterity.
Step 2 – Something new!
Spend some time on a piece, study or even just a chord progression that you are trying to learn. If you are tight for time, pick something small like a single phrase or short chord progression. Also, make sure you focus on the small wins. A simple goal like mastering this phrase or progression at 5 bpm faster than last session is a success. Celebrate it!
Step 3 – Something fun!
Be sure to finish every practice session with something you love to play. Choose a piece that you know you sound awesome on. After all, this is why we love playing saxophone right! You have to keep the fun factor going to keep your motivation up.
Even if you only can spare 5 minutes in your busy day for practice, you can make that 5 minutes count by structuring your time with this strategy.
Of course, 30 minutes would be even better!
Get my book “The Ultimate Guide to Practicing Saxophone” for more tips and advice.