Choose how you want to play a short passage. Practise it slowly until you can play it cleanly, then raise the tempo a little at a time. Check that you still sound and play the way you intended.
Practise until you can play cleanly at your target tempo using your intended technique. Forcing your way through a difficult passage may get you to the end, but it also gives you repeated practice at playing with uneven timing, unwanted tension or inconsistent movement.
At a slower tempo, you have enough time to decide how each note should sound and how you will physically play it. You can notice mistakes, correct the cause and repeat the passage in the same controlled way.
Once you can play it the same way each time, raise the tempo in small steps. Notice where your playing starts to change. That shows you which speed and which part need more work.
How to choose your technique and sound
Choose a short passage that you cannot yet play cleanly at the goal tempo. Before repeating it, decide what correct playing means for that passage.
Choose the sticking, fingering or articulation. Use the technique that you intend to use at the goal tempo.
Decide how the passage should sound. Include the note lengths, dynamics, accents and phrasing.
Find the movement that is giving you trouble. Notice how you prepare for the note or transition that currently causes the problem.
Play that version slowly. Do not replace the intended technique with a different movement simply because the tempo is slower.
Look and listen for
Even timing
Consistent sound and dynamics
The same fingering, sticking or articulation each time
No extra tension before the difficult note
A clean, even transition
You may prepare too late or tense up before the note you get wrong. Watch what happens just before it, then practise that part of the passage again.
How to find your starting tempo
Lower the tempo until you can meet the conditions below.
You use the intended technique. The sticking, fingering, articulation and movement match the version you chose.
You can check your playing as you go. You can listen to the timing and sound while noticing tension or unnecessary force.
You play it the same way each time. You do not use a different movement each time you reach the difficult section.
You can play it cleanly five times in a row. One successful attempt is not enough.
What to check at a slow tempo
Keep the loud and quiet notes as you intended
Keep the note spacing even
Finish the phrase cleanly on beat one
Restart when your technique changes
A slower tempo only helps if you use it to play the passage correctly. If the timing remains uneven or the movement remains tense, lower the tempo again or practise just the part causing the problem.
How to increase the tempo in small steps
Set Tempo trainer to raise the BPM by a small amount after eight repetitions. Keep playing as the tempo rises. Check that each repetition is still clean and controlled.
Example setup+2 BPM every 8 bars
80Start
82Repeat
84Keep steady
86Test
This example uses a one-bar passage. Eight bars allow eight repetitions before the tempo rises by 2 BPM.
Set up Tempo trainer
Set the starting tempo to the BPM where you completed five clean repetitions. Set the increase to 2 BPM.
Set the number of bars so that you can repeat the entire passage eight times before each increase. A one-bar passage needs eight bars. A two-bar passage needs sixteen bars. Changing the BPM automatically lets you continue playing without interrupting the exercise.
Check at each tempo
Am I still playing in time, getting the sound I want and moving with control? If the answer is yes, continue. If your timing, sound or control starts to slip, stop at that tempo.
What to check as the tempo rises
Even subdivisions and accurate note placement
Consistent note lengths, dynamics and accents
The intended fingering, sticking or articulation
The same preparation for difficult notes and transitions
No added tension or unnecessary force
Check that you can play cleanly throughout all eight repetitions at each tempo.
When to stop increasing the tempo
Stop when your timing, sound or technique changes. Do not continue raising the tempo after you notice uneven timing, altered technique, added tension or a loss of control.
Return to the last clean tempo. Repeat the passage eight times there before trying the higher tempo again.
Practise the bar or transition that needs work. Fix the bar or transition that changes instead of playing the whole passage and making the same mistake each time.
Write down the tempo you can play reliably. Note the fastest BPM where you completed the repetitions with control and precision, not the highest number you reached once.
Signs you need to slow down
You grip harder or use extra force
Quiet notes disappear
You rush or slow down when playing accents
Notes become shorter or less distinct
You can complete the passage once but cannot repeat it cleanly
You may use smaller movements or use rebound differently at higher speeds. Make those adjustments deliberately.
A 15-minute practice session
5 minPlay it cleanlySlow enough for five clean repetitions
7 minRaise the tempoEight repetitions per tempo; increase by 2 BPM
3 minRepeat and recordReturn to the last clean tempo and write it down
Using Tempo trainer in GigClick
Choose the starting tempo, the BPM increase and enough bars for eight repetitions. GigClick changes the tempo automatically while you concentrate on your timing, sound and technique.
