3 Pitfalls of Practicing (And How to Avoid Them)
As a multi-instrumentalist who’s spent thousands of hours in practice rooms, I can tell you with full honesty: practice is not just about time—it’s about how you spend that time.
Over the years, I’ve fallen into these three traps more than once, and each time I did, it slowed my progress, drained my motivation, and made me question whether I was doing it "right." If you're serious about improving as a musician—whether you're just getting started or you've been at it for a while—these are pitfalls you need to avoid. Let’s dive in.
1. Not Having a Conceptual Framework for What You're Working On
This might sound abstract, but it’s probably the #1 reason many musicians hit walls in their practice.
Think of it like trying to recite a speech in another language without knowing what any of the words mean. You might hit the syllables correctly, but without context, your brain has nothing to anchor the sound to. It's just noise.
To truly master a concept, your forebrain (the part responsible for abstract thinking and understanding) needs a clear package for the idea—something it can grasp, visualize, and manipulate before the hands ever come into play.
Here are three concrete ways to build that framework:
Sing the idea first: If you can't sing it, you don't truly understand it yet. Singing forces you to internalize the rhythms, phrasing, and shape of what you’re trying to play.
Write it down: Musical notation, even in basic form, is like a blueprint. It externalizes what’s in your head. You don’t need to be a classical sight-reader—just being able to sketch out the rough rhythm or contour of an idea gives your brain a visual guide.
Play it only after the first two: Too often we jump straight to the instrument. But skipping the first two steps means you're working with muscle memory alone—which is unreliable without conceptual clarity.
Pro tip: Engage all three learning modalities—auditory (singing), visual (notation), and kinesthetic (playing). When all three are in sync, your brain processes ideas faster, and you retain them longer.
2. Not Using a Metronome or Backing Tracks
Let me confess something: for years, I hated practicing with a metronome. I thought I had “good time” and didn’t need it. Spoiler alert: I didn’t.
When I finally committed to using a digital metronome, it was humbling—but in the best way. I realized I was rushing fills, dragging groove transitions, and ignoring tiny subdivisions that completely changed the feel of what I was trying to play.
Here’s why the metronome (or backing track) matters:
It’s your unbiased mirror. A metronome doesn't care how hard the lick is. It just tells you whether you played it in time or not.
It forces honest execution. You might understand a phrase conceptually, but that doesn’t mean you can execute it under pressure. Execution lives in the hindbrain—the part of your brain responsible for coordination. It only learns through repetition.
It trains your internal clock. With time, you’ll start to “feel” time more accurately and even develop a better sense of groove, swing, and pocket.
Bonus tip: Record yourself playing along with a metronome. You’ll catch things your ears didn’t hear in the moment—tiny hesitations, timing inconsistencies, or note lengths that subtly shift your phrasing.
Also, don’t underestimate the power of a backing track. If the metronome is a drill sergeant, backing tracks are like jamming with a good band. Use both. Alternate between them. They’ll shape you in different but equally important ways.
3. Lacking Patience in the Practice Room
I get it—we all want results now. Especially in an age where we can download an album in seconds or watch a tutorial that promises "instant mastery." But musical development doesn't work that way.
Let me share a story.
A while back, I was helping a bassist work through a wicked two-bar riff. He tried it a few times, got frustrated, and muttered, “I should be able to get this by now.” He was already beating himself up, even though the riff was objectively difficult—fast tempo, big shifts, and odd phrasing.
So I broke it down with him.
We started with just the first three notes. Played them slowly. Got it clean. Then added a note. Then another. Step by step. The final tempo was 188 bpm, but we started at 80 bpm. I could see his frustration build—this wasn’t fun, it was work. But he stuck with it. After nearly two hours, he had the entire first measure at 160 bpm, solid and clean.
He asked, “It took me two hours to get one measure?!”
I smiled. “Yeah—and look how far you came.”
That was a lightbulb moment. The time spent wasn’t wasted—it was invested.
Here’s the takeaway: progress isn’t linear. Some days you’ll move an inch. Some days you’ll leap forward. The key is consistency, grace, and a long-term mindset.
In Summary: The 3 Pitfalls
Not having a clear conceptual framework
→ Sing it, see it, then play it.Avoiding the metronome or backing tracks
→ Use both to tighten your timing and deepen your musical feel.Expecting instant results
→ Great playing is a slow build. Trust the process.
Final Thought
The best musicians I’ve ever met weren’t necessarily the most "naturally gifted." They were the most intentional. They approached practice like a craft: thoughtfully, consistently, and humbly.
If you can avoid these three pitfalls, you’ll not only practice better—you’ll start to enjoy the journey more.
And that’s what it’s all about.
