What is the best way to begin learning your competition entry? Here is a guide to follow:
Go slowly. When you can play the difficult passages perfectly 3 times in a row at a slow speed, then you are ready to move up in tempo.
Try not to make any mistakes. Mistakes are difficult to UNDO! They get in your ear and your fingers, and then you need to try to fix them. It is better to never make them to begin with.
Correct any mistakes with pencil THE VERY FIRST TIME! If you missed a flat or sharp, mark it in. Use arrows as a warning to look ahead, circle difficult passages.
Use the metronome. Very few students have a steady beat in the beginning. Check to see what the recommended metronome marking is, and then start practicing about 40 clicks below that.
Make sure you know all the notes. Do not guess at the notes if you have never seen them before! Stop and figure them out!
Look up any musical terms you do not recognize. How can you properly interpret the musicality of the piece, if you do not know that it gradually slowed down in the middle (Ritardando), or became sweet (Dolce) instead of agitated (Agitato)?
Read more about the composer and the history of the piece. What do you think the composer was like? How does the music reflect the goal of the composer? How can you transform what is on the page, to a performance that is enjoyable for your audience?
Find a professional recording to listen to. Back in the “Dark Ages” when I was learning, we did not have YouTube or Spotify. Imagine that! In fact, there were barely vinyl record recordings of most standard repertoire. Take advantage of being able to see and hear the best musicians in the world.
READ your music. DO NOT MEMORIZE the music until you are certain you are playing it correctly! Tisk. . . tisk. . . This is a common problem. Think about it. . . if you memorize mistakes, you have been making in your preparations, HOW are you going to convince your memory that they are wrong?
Be prepared to perform at least ONE WEEK in advance of the deadline! The night before your competition is NOT the time to be fixing mistakes! This undermines your confidence.