Tips for successful practicing

1.  Always start with a slow tempo and gradually speed up.

2.  The amount of time you practice is not as important as the quality of the time.  Be efficient!

3.  Be extremely careful and accurate with rhythms.  Once you learn it wrong it is very difficult to correct.

4. Practice with a metronome

5.  Practice with a tuner and check pitches as you go.  This will help with overall pitch center problems.

6.  Be patient with hard passages.  It may take multiple sessions to get it right.  

7.  When you feel frustration, move on to something else and come back to it another time.

8.  Record yourself playing and listen.  This is the best way to substantially improve your playing.

9.  If you practice consistently, your performance will be consistent.  This means every day!  

10. Always practice how you are going to perform.  

11. Remember:  Practice does not make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect