Practice, Practice

“Practice does not make perfect; perfect practice makes perfect”
                                                                     Vince Lombardi
This is an interesting quote, easy to say and easy to dream about but can be difficult to accomplish. A helpful approach to perfect practice is to pay attention to every detail as best as you can. Professional or beginner, we must all practice with care. Work out the most obvious mistakes first then move on to the subtlest ones. Repeat the difficult sections slowly. Don't play fast until you have the section learned, which might take days or weeks. After the section is learned you can gradually play it at faster tempos. Remember that speed is a final destination. The longest journey in the world is one step at a time. Give each of your steps all of your attention and you will without doubt improve.