Practice

Do you have any of the following events coming up in your area?

Do you need to practice for any of the above events before playing? Certainly the answer is yes!

Practice is the art of doing something regularly or repeatedly, in order to become proficient in whatever you are doing. 

Generally speaking:
  • The more we practice the better we become in what we are doing
  • The better we become at doing something, the more we enjoy doing, and it should become easier
  • The more we enjoy doing something, the more we become able to maintain our skill and strive for excellence

Practicing is an art you learn slowly and gradually overtime. You must be disciplined in order to progress and become an accomplished pannist.

Practice develops the eye-brain-hand co-ordination needed to play pan effectively.

When you learn a tune or practice a piece for the first time it may seems natural to play; other times it may not be as straightforward and you may feel disheartened. This feeling of frustration will dissipate over time, the more you become familiar with the piece you are learning. As you practice you can build up your mental and physical strength and become more co-ordinated to be on the road to a new horizon.
 

Some basic principles to apply when practising are as follows:- 

  • Be patient with yourself as learning to play any instrument is a long term process 
  • Try to practice regularly and at a particular time and place. This will develop your ability to concentrate and can only come through repetition 
  • Check that your pan is in tune. Playing on a pan that is out of tune is more likely to make the problem worse and slow down your progress 
  • Set goals for yourself when you are practicing 
  • When you are learning to play a tune and you identify a difficult section, play the piece slowly, and then increase the tempo as you become more familiar with the tune or section you are playing 
  • It is important to listen to the tune you are practising as becoming familiar with the tune will inspire your zest for learning 
  • Practice makes perfect 
  • Practice should be fun 

Each practice session will form a part of your transformation as a pannist. However, practising a lot does not necessarily mean you will improve your skill, it is how and what you practice that will help you to progress. You may not be conscious of this transformation at first, but overtime it will become apparent.

It is advantageous to work with an experienced pannist who has mastered the skills you are trying to achieve. Under proper guidance you should be grounded with the necessary skills in order to become an accomplished player.

Practicing as part of a group is also a great way to improve your skills. You can also practice with your section or the whole steelband. At this stage you will be able to home in on your listening skills as you will need to be aware of the pannists playing with you.

Nevertheless, only you can make yourself a better player by practicing constantly and eventually you will be able to achieve your goal.