CIRCLES Step One

The most common method I teach for practicing is called practicing "Circles".  I call it "Circles" because it all started when I would draw circles around a small section of my student's pieces and told them to only practice that one circle until it was perfect.  The assignment was to practice only one circle from each piece per day.

The results were amazing!  I had a beginning student in the Level 1 Method Books.  She was passing off two or three pieces each week.  I taught her this new way to practice.  She was already in the habit (reinforced by her parents) to practice for twenty minutes a day, so she had to keep learning circles until her time was up.  She passed off FOURTEEN pieces the next week!  And most of them were memorized!

This is the basic foundation that I teach almost all other practicing skills on.  There are some exceptions, but we will cover those in other articles.

So... let me explain how to practice "Circles".

Step One

Identify the Circles and Patterns

Here is an example.  This is a piece from a Level 3 Hal Leonard Method Book.

The first thing to do is draw a circle around the first two measures.

Then look for anywhere in the rest of the piece that this "circle" is repeated exactly the same.  Since you will have learned this circle perfectly the first time it appears in the music, you can skip practicing it when it comes up again.  Draw dashes through it diagonally.

Remember - it might repeat again - so check the ENTIRE piece.

Now look for "circles" that are almost the same.  This one has the same notes and rhythm, but the hands are switched - the melody is now in the Left Hand, and the harmony is in the Right Hand.  So even though it's a little different, it will be really EASY to learn because you've basically learned it already!

OK...  Now draw a circle around the NEXT two measures in the piece.  I have used a different color so it's easier to see what I'm talking about.

Now look through the rest of the piece to see if it repeats EXACTLY, or ALMOST the same.  It does not, so we draw a circle around the next two measures.  I circled these in green.  When we search for a repeat, we find one at the very end of the song, so I dashed it out with green.

That only leaves two measures, so we draw a circle around them.  I used orange this time.

Now look at how many "Circles" we have to practice.  There are five.  If we practice one every day until it is perfect, it will take us five days to get this entire piece perfect.  Just in time to pass it off at the next lesson!



I will demonstrate how to practice the circle to get it perfect in following articles...


HAPPY PRACTICING!!