Make Your Practice More Effective in 2025 (At All Skill Levels!)

Welcome to the harp studio! Whether you’re a seasoned harpist or just starting, finding ways to practice efficiently can make a huge difference in your progress. Here are five simple tips to help you get the most out of your practice sessions and learn faster, no matter your current level.

1. Don’t Run on Autopilot

If you take just one thing from this post, let it be this: don’t practice mindlessly.

Sitting down and running through your pieces without thinking is basically the least effective way of practicing. It is slightly better than not practicing at all, so I'll give you that, but to make real progress, you need to be intentional.

Pay attention to what you’re doing:

• What are you trying to accomplish?

• What’s working?

• What could be improved?

For example, decide how long to spend on an exercise, focus on specific sections, and observe your playing. A good habit is to ask yourself after playing, “What did I notice about that?” If your answer is, “I don’t know,” that’s a sign to listen more carefully. By staying present and making conscious choices, you’ll see improvement much faster.

2. Stop Always Starting at the Beginning

One common mistake many students make is what I call “beginning-only syndrome.” They can play the start of a piece beautifully, but as soon as they get to a tricky section later on, they falter. Why? Because they’ve spent most of their practice time only playing from the beginning.

Instead, divide your piece into sections. These sections could be based on musical phrases, lines, pages, or wherever the melody changes. Then, when you sit down to practice, choose a specific section to work on instead of defaulting to the start. This ensures every part of the piece gets equal attention, helping you play confidently all the way through to the end.

3. Work From Small to Large Sections

Once you’re comfortable practicing different sections, the next step is to make those sections very small—sometimes as small as a single measure or even a few notes. This is particularly useful for challenging areas.

Start small:

• Practice one measure until you’re comfortable.

• Combine two measures and play them together.

• Gradually expand to four-bar phrases, then eight, and so on.

Playing one measure vs playing the entire song is a really different experience, so if you’ve ever thought to yourself, “I can play this measure when I practice it alone, why do I still mess it up when I play the whole song?” Think about if you’ve been working up to that play through with medium length sections as well.

4. When Something Isn’t Working, Try Something Different

Efficient practice is all about approaching the same material in many different ways. If you've been playing the same thing over and over and are getting bored or frustrated, your brain won't learn very well.

So when you feel the boredom or the frustration setting in, change things up.

Here are some ideas to mix things up:

• Play slower

• Learn the right hand part with your left hand, and vice versa

• Hop around between different sections

• Clap the rhythm

• Use a metronome

• Say note names or fingerings aloud as you play.

• Practice with an exaggerated or "wrong" rhythm to get your fingers moving

Really anything goes here. Anything you can come up with to change things up could be a boost you need to make the next breakthrough.

5. Don’t Forget to Take Breaks

Practicing for hours on end might feel productive, but it can actually hinder your progress. Your mind and body need regular breaks to stay fresh and focused.

Here’s how to incorporate breaks into your routine:

• After every hour of playing, take at least a 10-minute break to stretch and move around.

• If frustration starts creeping in, pause your practice session. Even a quick trip to grab a glass of water can help reset your mindset.

Taking breaks prevents burnout and gives your brain time to process what you’ve learned, making your practice sessions more effective in the long run.

Start Practicing Smarter Today

These five tips—staying mindful, practicing different sections, breaking down the music, trying new strategies, and taking breaks—are easy to implement but can have a profound impact on your progress.

If you’d like more harp tips and tricks, sign up for my email list to get free resources sent straight to your inbox.

Let’s make this year your best yet as a harpist!

See you next time!