Ultra Slow Challenge
By Philip Johnston

Page 1 of 1

I have said in many other hints that playing slowly will make your piece easier.

It's true - unless you go really slowly. Then something rather strange happens - especially if you are playing from memory.

Because you now have plenty of time between notes, you start to doubt what the next note actually is. The B flat that you have always played now feels like it should be an E flat.  And to make things worse, the muscle-memory thread that normally has you automatically moving from note to note is snapped by the slow speed, and you are forced to figure out what to play next some other way.

Some students, when they try this ultra slow method of practicing, find they cannot play their piece at all.

If you set the metronome to one tenth of the speed the piece is supposed to go at, and suddenly can't play it, that is a cause for concern. In your performance, as long as your muscle memory delivers the correct notes, you will be just fine. But if you miss a note or get lost, muscle memory cannot help with what comes next. It is at just such a time that you'll wish you had done some Ultra Slow practice at some - it helps to create a reserve chute for such mishaps.

Go try it now - I think you'll be surprised by just how tough it is. And like most of the practicing tips that end up being difficult challenges, you will also be surprised by the positive impact it can have on your playing.