The Practice of Practice: Get Better Faster

Harnum was written a book with answers to some practice questions but he also asks more questions. This gives the reader much to think about.

Not the easiest read, but this book was written with the heart. Therefore, I'll rate it a five star product!

I loved this book. Immensely helpful in my quest to evolve as a guitarist. I’ve quoted passages to friends and family. It is clearly written with wonderful quotes. Short digestible chapters. Humor. Covering everything from the big picture to specific techniques. This book is a gift. Thank you Jonathan!

Learning to produce music from an instrument is tricky and to spend endless hours trying to learn to master an instrument without measurable improvement is disastrous. You may think you can just pick up the skills magically but for most of us, it just ain’t so. This book discusses the things that work and those that would deny you of progress and many tips are provided from famous musicians and scientists. Well worth the read.Only criticism would be many links to websites are now broken or out of date, but the internet never stays the same for long so I can’t really be that critical on that point.So, as someone once said, if you are on a journey, have a plan. This book can help you plan and be more productive with your precious practice time.

I can't say enough about how good this book is. I'm in my mid fifties and just took up mandolin. I've been a practitioner of different arts throughout my years and wish Jonathan had written this book 30 years ago.This book has helped me develop a much more effective practice discipline. Moving on to his music theory book now. Thank you Jonathan! Excellent work sir!

As a total nerd when it comes to understanding things, the first half of this book was a great introduction to the science behind effective practice. The second half was full of great suggestions for techniques to accomplish this. Fantastic book! My one very minor suggestion would be a list of action steps at the end because there are so many great ideas. But then again the act of making that list yourself would have its own value. Jonathan, very well executed.

Just finished The Practice of Practice and I highly recommend it for any musician new or like me someone who has been practicing for more than 50 years. I am revising my entire outlook on practice (I'm learning a new instrument) to focus on achievable goals, and measurable progress. Remember: "Talent is practice in disguise."

Practice of Practice by Jonathan Harnum is a tour de force on the subject of how, when, why and if not, really how, musicians actually practice. The book is full of quotes and ideas from master musicians from Leo Kottke to concert masters to pop divas. The 40 chapters are each short and to the point. The “extensions” at the end of each chapter give access to excellent resources and performances.Jonathan draws from neuroanatomy, learning theories, experts, his own experience, giving us a wonderful collection of anecdotes, theories, approaches, techniques, and approaches to practice. Jonathan is encyclopedic, without being pedantic, informative but entertaining is his writing. If you have heard a concept or approach applied to practice, or the theory behind learning theory, Jonathan, anticipating, has included if for our education and improvement in our personal practice. There are even suggestions for “guerrilla” practice and for quick tricks. ‘Jonathan is not a big fan of practice rooms, nor of long hours of scales and arpeggios. His suggestions vary from alternating half and full speed to get passages up to speed, to chaining and back chaining to memorize, to short burst practice sessions called guerrilla sessions, to group participation. He recommends trying out the many ideas and selecting those which work for each student. It’s a very refreshing approach to an age old problem, solving the mystery of how to get students to practice. Jonathan feels practice should be fun intriguing the student to partake.The book is very well written and edited. The images are few but fill out the text they relate to very well. The notes are at the end of each chapter and while not huge in number are very large in interest and applicability. The extensions are onto the web and add greatly to the book. At about 250 pages, this is not a small book, but is very approachable and useful.I recommend the book for any and all music educators and all serious students of music. In fact, I have ordered copies for my current two major mentors and my musically inclined son. I read it in e-book format, but the book is so good I have ordered a hard copy for reference.

An excellent description that I could have benefitted from right from the day I first picked up an instrument.It is not a short read, and uses illustrations from a type of music that is not my favourite - but, strangely, I found those were advantages. I could pick out the fundamental points without being distracted.I cannot think of any sort of musician - ear-learned or dot-reader, folk or classical, drummer or organist, beginner or professional - who would not find this book useful

Good book, although not quite what I was expecting. I was looking for practical tips on how to improve my mandolin practice, and there were a few of those, but the tone of this book is more inspirational rather than giving practical exercises. Easy read, written in a pleasant style I can relate to, all in all happy that I bought it.

"The Practice of Practice" von Jonathan Harnum liefert einen absolut gelungenen Überblick zum Thema Üben für Musiker. Dabei erwähnt Harnum Ideen, von denen man schon gehört hat, andere waren zumindest mir absolut neu. Das Buch zeichnet sich durch eine hohe Praxisorientierung aus, von der Musiker eines jeglichen Spielniveaus profitieren dürften. Besonder empfehlen würde ich die Kindle-Version, da diese nach jedem Kapitel Links anbieten, die Harnums Ideen verdeutlichen. Dies funktioniert logischerweise am besten auf einem Reader, der z.B. auch auf Youtube-Links zugreifen kann. Schön, endlich mal ein EBook zu haben, welches diesen Mehrwert dermaßen gut ausspielt. "The Practice of Practice" ist auf Englisch gut zu lesen und setzt keine perfekte Sprachbeherrschung voraus. Das Buch hat mich ein ganzes Stück voran gebracht und erhält folglich, unter Berücktigung der anderen positiven Aspekte, fünf volle Sterne.

Just get it, read it, use it. It provides motivation and meaning for all levels of musical ambition, plus an excellent resource for online tools and teachings.

Having recently taken a course on “how to practice to perform” , this book came along at exactly the right time for me. An excellent read and full of value for performers and students wanting to know how to go to the next level. Don’t hesitate , just buy it!