Micro breaks During repetitions in practice

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This could easily be adapted to any practice activity . I think I have actually noticed an improvement sometimes after a short micro break 

https://bulletproofmusician.com/evidence-that-you-should-probably-be-taking-practice-micro-breaks-if-you-want-to-maximize-learning/#continue
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  • allenallen Frets: 699
    Really interesting. I think that there’s a lot of accepted ‘wisdom’ that isn’t really right. 
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  • DefaultMDefaultM Frets: 7271
    I once went to a group lesson with Jon Gomm and John Wheatcroft, and they said that you should do this. If you want to learn a phrase from a song you should play it once, add in a pause of a bar while you take your hand away from the neck, play the phrase again and repeat. They said you should do this because when you play the song for real you won't be repeating it over and over you'll be playing it once, and it helps you learn it better.
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  • octatonicoctatonic Frets: 33725
    DefaultM said:
    I once went to a group lesson with Jon Gomm and John Wheatcroft, and they said that you should do this. If you want to learn a phrase from a song you should play it once, add in a pause of a bar while you take your hand away from the neck, play the phrase again and repeat. They said you should do this because when you play the song for real you won't be repeating it over and over you'll be playing it once, and it helps you learn it better.
    Yes, this has been part of the pedagogy of musical practice for decades.

    The phrase I use with students is 'pick it up and put bit down'.
    Going back to something time after time solidifies the learning in a way that doing longer sessions without breaks is not as effective.
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  • kelpbedskelpbeds Frets: 181
    Super interesting, i've researched the theory of practice a lot and this supports a lot of my findings
    Check out my Blues lessons channel at:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBTSHf5NqVQDz0LzW2PC1Lw
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  • StratavariousStratavarious Frets: 3597
    This is fundamental cognitive stuff.. the brain needs to move the experience to different memory  levels to enable recall.  It can’t do that if it is already focussed on doing the task it wants to remember. 

    Similarly I find a week long break moves intensely practiced pieces into a muscle memory.  I play better after a break than at the end of a practice session.
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  • RolandRoland Frets: 8590
    It also supports the thesis that we play phrases rather than notes. Each phrase has a pick up time, even if it’s a fraction of a beat. Putting in a micro breakallows for this.
    Tree recycler, and guitarist with  https://www.undercoversband.com/.
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  • hollywoodroxhollywoodrox Frets: 4084
    DefaultM said:
    I once went to a group lesson with Jon Gomm and John Wheatcroft, and they said that you should do this. If you want to learn a phrase from a song you should play it once, add in a pause of a bar while you take your hand away from the neck, play the phrase again and repeat. They said you should do this because when you play the song for real you won't be repeating it over and over you'll be playing it once, and it helps you learn it better.
    Thanks that’s brilliant,John Gomm rings a bell I thought John myung for a minute who I think is a bass player in dream theatre . I am incorporating this into my routine . 
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  • hollywoodroxhollywoodrox Frets: 4084
    Thank you all for your input ,this is very very useful . I often have a sip of water between reps too , I drink a lot in the morning , end up wanting to wee all day lol
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  • DefaultMDefaultM Frets: 7271
    Found an advert for it. 10 years ago eesh. I think Jon Gomm might have been a poster on music radar forum, I seem to remember him having a monkey avatar.

    https://www.musicradar.com/guitarist/john-wheatcroft-concert-and-guitar-workshop-356378
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  • RolandRoland Frets: 8590
    Jon Gomm is @performingchimp. He hasn’t logged on since May 2016
    Tree recycler, and guitarist with  https://www.undercoversband.com/.
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  • When I'm learning a phrase I always play into it and out of it so that I maintain the phrase's 'context' have practised the entry and exit transitions. Unless it's the opening/closeing phrase obviously.
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  • Micro-breaks work really well for me. I play somethingelse and then go back to it and, generally find that it has consolidated in the gap. I ike the idea of removing my hand(s) from the instrument afor a bar.
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