We all want to get better and improve our drumming skills and everyone knows that to do this we need to practice.
So why don’t we practice more?
The main reason is because it’s not a habit. We tell ourselves we need to practice 5 times a week for 30 minutes. Great! But that’s not enough. Without habits and cues, our brain won’t know when it’s time to practice, and before we know it, it’s Sunday night and we haven’t touched our drum once. The trick is to give our brain cues for when we want to practice.
Here are two easy ways to do this…
Tip #1 – Proximity 👀
Place your djembe somewhere at home that you walk past often, and every time you go past it – you have to play it. Sometimes you might only play two notes, and sometimes you might sit down and play it for 20 minutes. Either way, this is a great trick to remind yourself to practice.
Tip #2 – Train your brain 🧠
Set up your drum practice time right before or right after something you’re already in the habit of doing, like – Before I brush my teeth at night I’ll play the djembe for 10 minutes. This way, your brain knows exactly when to remember to practice, because you’ve attached it to a current habit.
Using these tips, you’ll soon find yourself practicing the djembe every day. Once practicing is a habit, you can work on increasing the length of time of the practice, but you’d already have the first important step covered – consistency.
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Happy drumming!
