The Practice Room
Welcome to The Practice Room!
Below you will find practice tools/websites that I have used over the years that I think are very helpful. If you have any questions or recommendations, please feel free to email me!
SmartMusic is an effective, fun, and unique way to practice at home. Students see which notes and rhythms they played correctly/incorrectly, receive a performance score, and hear their recording. SmartMusic includes a metronome, tuner, and the ability to loop sections! I HIGHLY encourage any student to practice using this program.
MusicTheory.net is a great website that has lessons, exercises, and tools to help you learn basic music theory.
Metronome Online is a great free online metronome that can help you keep a steady beat while you practice musical passages. Here is how I recommend using a metronome in 3 easy steps:
- Set the tempo at around 60% - 70% of the goal tempo you want. e.g. 120 - 140 bpm if the goal tempo is 200
- Play the passage 3 - 5 times or as many times as you need until you feel comfortable with it.
- Increase the tempo by 5 - 10 beats per minute (bpm), then repeat the second step.
Amazing Slow Downer is an awesome tool that slows down songs so you can transcribe and practice along with your favorite artists!
Interested in composing and/or arranging music? MuseScore is an excellent music notation program that you can use and it's free!
Tuners: using a tuner while you play will help you learn how to play in tune. You can find free versions of tuner apps in any app store or use a browser-based tuner like this. You can also purchase a tuner from most instrumental music stores.