The Power of Slow Practice: Why "Going Slow" Will Make You Faster
There’s a saying I’ve encountered many times in my journey of learning how to practice effectively: “If you want to go fast, go slow.” This is advice I wish I had taken to heart when I first picked up the guitar as a beginner. Like many, I was eager to make quick progress and be able to play songs I could show off as proof of my hard work. What I didn’t realize at the time was that my eagerness to rush through songs was actually holding me back.
In this article, I’ll share insights on slow practice that I wish I had known when I started – so you can take a smarter approach to learning. Let’s explore why slow practice is so effective, and how it will keep you from feeling the need to rush through your progress.
Why We Rush
When learning something new, we are excited to get results. I get it. You want to learn a song quickly and see the fruits of your labor. This is because you are passionate about music and sharing it with the world.
However, in my experience, this drive often leads to speeding through practice sessions in the hope of mastering a piece sooner. But in reality, the opposite is true: slowing down is the fastest route to real improvement, whether you’re playing guitar, piano, or working on vocal technique.
It might sound counterintuitive, but here’s the truth:
Muscle memory – the foundation of skill – develops much more quickly and effectively when we practice slowly. Whether you're working on tricky chord transitions, learning a new picking pattern, or fine-tuning your vocal control, slow and deliberate practice is the most reliable way to build precision, stability, and eventually, speed.
Why Slow Practice Works
At the core of slow practice is muscle memory – your brain and body need time to absorb and perfect the movements. When you rush through practice, you’re more likely to reinforce mistakes, which can be difficult to unlearn later. On the other hand, when you slow things down, you allow your brain to process each movement clearly and fully, making sure you’re getting it right every time.
When you practice slowly, you're not just giving your fingers, voice, or rhythm a workout – you're teaching your brain to deeply understand the movements. At a slower pace, you have the mental capacity to listen closely to the subtle details of your playing. You can adjust your technique with more accuracy because you’re not overwhelmed by the need for speed.
By slowing down, your muscles can absorb the correct movements and your awareness can focus on the small adjustments needed to improve. Over time, this careful, mindful approach builds a solid foundation, and your body will internalize the movements correctly, making them automatic.
THE ALCHEMY OF MUSIC
If you want to go fast, go slow – this counterintuitive advice is the secret to building lasting musical skill.
The Science Behind Slow Practice
Muscle memory isn’t just about repeating an action until it becomes automatic – it’s a process deeply rooted in neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to rewire itself by forming new neural pathways. Every time you practice a movement or technique, your brain and muscles are working together to create and reinforce these connections. The quality of these connections depends on how you practice, and that’s where the power of slow practice comes in.
When you practice slowly, you're allowing your brain to process each movement with clarity and precision. Instead of rushing through and reinforcing sloppy habits, you’re giving yourself the chance to execute each action correctly, ensuring that your brain builds stronger, more accurate neural connections. Think of it as laying a solid foundation: if you rush through, the structure may be shaky, but by taking your time, you ensure that each layer is secure.
Slow practice also enhances your awareness, giving you the space to notice details you might otherwise miss. You become more attuned to the subtleties of your playing, whether it’s the way your fingers move across the frets, the depth of your breath control, or the precision of your rhythm. As you practice with this heightened focus, your brain learns to associate those movements with accuracy, which ultimately leads to smoother and more reliable performances at any speed.
Here’s why slow practice is so effective:
Greater focus: Practicing slowly forces you to pay close attention to each detail of the movement, whether it’s pressing a note on the piano or strumming a chord on the guitar. This sharpens your awareness and ensures that you’re doing the movement correctly every time.
Reducing mistakes: When you go slowly, you reduce the chance of making mistakes. The fewer mistakes you make during practice, the fewer mistakes you’ll carry into your playing. Over time, this leads to a more consistent and reliable playing, even at faster speeds.
Better coordination: Whether you’re playing a new picking pattern, tackling a tricky rhythm, or working on your vocal phrasing, practicing slowly allows your muscles, breath, and brain to coordinate in harmony. This builds smoothness and efficiency.
THE ALCHEMY OF MUSIC
Muscle memory develops more quickly and accurately when you slow down, allowing your brain and body to fully absorb each movement.
The Benefits of Slow Practice
You might be thinking, "If I practice so slowly, won’t that hold me back?" Surprisingly, the answer is no. In fact, slowing down accelerates your progress in the long run. It might seem counterintuitive, but by focusing on deliberate, precise movements at a slow pace, you build a stronger foundation for speed and accuracy later on. Here’s why slow practice works to your advantage:
Better Muscle Memory
Muscle memory is the process of training your muscles and brain to work together to remember actions. When you practice slowly, your brain and muscles are able to fully absorb the correct movements, making your playing or singing more stable and reliable. By giving your muscles time to learn the right movements, you're ensuring that the correct technique is ingrained. Practicing quickly, on the other hand, often leads to sloppy movements that become difficult to fix later. The slower you go, the more detailed your memory of each action becomes, which in turn makes your execution much smoother and more reliable at faster tempos.
Increased Accuracy
Precision is far more important than speed when you’re learning something new. Slow practice allows you to focus on each note, chord, or phrase, ensuring that everything is played or sung exactly as it should be. This accuracy is what ultimately leads to flawless performances. By focusing on getting every movement right at a slower pace, you're building the accuracy that will eventually transfer to faster tempos. Speed will naturally follow once you’ve established precision. It’s like building a house: if the foundation is strong, everything else will fall into place.
Less Frustration
When you rush through practice, mistakes are bound to happen. This can lead to frustration and discouragement, especially when those mistakes pile up. Practicing slowly reduces the chances of making errors, which not only makes your practice sessions more enjoyable but also leaves you feeling more accomplished. By eliminating the constant need to go back and fix errors, you can focus on steady progress. This calm and focused approach will keep your motivation high and prevent the burnout that often comes from rushing through difficult pieces.
Long-Term Skill Building
Slowing down allows you to build the core skills you need – whether that’s finger dexterity, breath control, or rhythm coordination. These foundational skills are the backbone of musical mastery, and they take time to develop. When you take the time to practice slowly, you’re giving yourself the space to work on these critical aspects of playing or singing. Over time, these skills become second nature, and when it’s time to play at faster tempos, you’ll find that you can do so effortlessly. The long-term benefits of slow practice far outweigh the temporary satisfaction of playing fast but inaccurately.
By embracing slow practice, you’re setting yourself up for consistent, long-term success. The discipline to take things slow now will lead to performances that are smoother, more accurate, and far more confident down the road. Speed, after all, is a byproduct of precision and control – two things that are best built at a slower pace.
Applying Slow Practice to Your Instrument or Voice
Whether you're a guitarist, pianist, singer, or percussionist, slow practice can transform your playing or singing. Here’s how you can apply it across various instruments:
Guitar and Piano
Fingerings and chords: Learning new finger positions or chord progressions? Play each note slowly, focusing on getting each transition smooth and clean. Instead of rushing to play a song at full speed, slow things down and ensure that each finger is in the right place before moving forward.
Picking patterns and scales: For guitarists, practicing picking patterns or scales at a slow tempo builds accuracy and strength. Pianists can do the same with scales and arpeggios. Start slow, and over time, your hands will remember the motions so well that speed will come naturally.
Drums and Percussion
Whether you're playing a djembe or a drum kit, slow practice helps your hands and feet work together in sync. Focus on each beat, ensuring your timing is precise. Slower practice also builds endurance, so when you speed up, you’ll find your coordination strong and stable.
Voice
Singers can also benefit from slowing things down. Sing each note and phrase at a slow tempo, ensuring your pitch is accurate and your breathing is controlled. Focus on vocal cord movements and transitions between notes. This builds confidence, and over time, your vocal muscles will automatically know what to do at faster speeds.
THE ALCHEMY OF MUSIC
The foundation of musical mastery isn’t speed – it’s accuracy, and accuracy is built through deliberate, slow practice.
How to Practice Slowly - My Favorite Method
If you’re eager to put slow practice to the test, here’s a simple method you can try across any instrument or vocal work. All you will need is a metronome app.
Set a slow tempo at 50 bpm
Grab a metronome and set it to a slow speed – between 50 and 70 beats per minute, or even slower if needed. The slow pace, gives your brain time, to anticipate the next action, before it happens. Play or sing along, focusing on accuracy rather than speed. Every note or beat should be clear and intentional. This might feel very boring - but that is exactly what we are aiming for: When your brain is feeling bored, it’s a sign, that a process is becoming subconscious and automated.
Hold for 1 min
Slow down to the point where you can hit every note, chord, or phrase perfectly. You should reach a point, where for 1 min, you can play the section you are working on, without making any mistakes. If you make a mistake, repeat the section at an even slower pace (minus 10 bpm) and continue until it feels smooth. Only then you are ready to move on, and increase the speed. This ensures that your brain and muscles are learning the right movements.
Gradually increase speed by 10 bpm
Once you’ve mastered a section at a slow pace, you can begin to gradually increase the speed by 10 bpm. Repeat this process, until you have headed the desired speed of the song you are practicing. As you do, you’ll find that the foundation you’ve built by going slow will allow you to play faster without sacrificing accuracy.
Be patient
Remember, rushing through practice can reinforce bad habits and mistakes. Be patient with yourself and trust that the speed will come with time.
THE ALCHEMY OF MUSIC
By embracing slow practice, you’re setting yourself up for consistent, long-term success.
Speed Will Come on Its Own
When you take the time to lay the groundwork through slow practice, speed becomes a natural byproduct. Once your muscles have memorized the correct movements and your brain has formed strong connections, you’ll find that you can play or sing faster without even trying. The accuracy and fluidity you’ve developed at slow tempos will carry over to faster ones, making your performance effortless and reliable.
Conclusion: Trust the Power of Slow
If you want to improve quickly as a musician, the best advice is counterintuitive: slow down. Whether you’re learning a new instrument, mastering a tricky song, or refining your vocal technique, slow practice helps you build a strong foundation of muscle memory, precision, and confidence. Remember, speed will come naturally once you’ve developed accuracy and control.
So, the next time you’re eager to rush through a piece, remind yourself of the saying: “If you want to go fast, go slow.” By trusting in the power of slow practice, you’ll find that progress happens faster than you ever imagined.