STOP-GO-IMAGINE

Stop-Go-Imagine

Playing or singing over and over tends to dull the senses and the imagination. This makes it hard to learn the piece well. This little jewel of a technique takes just a bit more than 2 minutes. After you have practiced a phrase in this way, you will never forget it! That is a great profit for a short period of time. It is also good way to start practicing as it fine-tunes your concentration. It helps create a clear connection between you and the music.

Prepare:
Make a set of 9 flashcards. You can just use one A4 paper if you do not have anything else, or use some small note cards for repeated use.
Find a clock with a second hand. If you do not have this, find one online by typing in “clock with second hand.” Somehow it is more restful to use a clock with hands than a digital timer. Here is one: http://www.online-stopwatch.com/online-clock-smooth-seconds/

Write STOP on three cards, GO on three, and IMAGINE on three more.
Shuffle the cards and place in a pile on your music stand. Choose a phrase to work on, one that takes about 15 seconds.
Use the cards one by one to work on this phrase. Each card is to be used for 15 seconds, then turn it and start the next card. Use the clock to time your actions. The whole “game” with one phrase takes 2 minutes and 15 seconds.

Card rules:
STOP: When the card says STOP, stop playing and just stand or sit at rest, maybe looking out of the window or around the room. This is time your brain needs to calm down, and process what you have done or get ready for the next thing.

GO: GO means play the phrase through once without correcting anything or repeating.

IMAGINE: IMAGINE means put your instrument in “rest” position and imagine the phrase. You do not need to move any body parts to imagine something. Maintain a sense of space in your imagining moment. It can be useful to imagine the phrase coming from the room, or from out of the window.