MOLLY CARR, VIOLA
THOUGHTS ON PRACTICING
INTRODUCTION
PURPOSE of PRACTICING
In my mind, the purpose of a “practice session” is much the same as that of a training session for a serious
athlete. Time spent in the practice room should be used in teaching your body and mind how to produce
exactly what you hear as your inner “Heifitz/Perlman/Horowitz.” In other words, practicing is essentially
finding the most efficient way from Point A (the music you hear
in your inner ear or imagination which is yet uninhibited by your
body or the instrument) to Point B (presenting your dream
INTRODUCTION
performance – a consistent flow from your imagination through
Purpose of Practicing
Achieving Your Dream Performance
the instrument into your audience’s ear).
If you practice well, you should be able to pick up your
instrument at ANY time of day or night, amidst rain or shine,
while feeling lousy or fantastic physically or emotionally, and
still be able to produce at least a basic skeleton of your “inner
Heifitz.” In short, if you practice well, you can give yourself the
confidence of being able to rely on a certain level of consistency
during any performance.
ACHIEVING YOUR DREAM PERFORMANCE
Thinking Forward
Physical Needs
Mental Markers
BREAKING IT DOWN
Baby Steps
Intonation
Rhythm
Bow Division
Dynamics
Character, Mood, & Phrasing
Quality of Sound
Relaxed Coordination/ Think Ahead
Beyond the Instrument
Self-reliance
I find that I can accomplish things most efficiently when I
Imagination
Mental Preparation & Discipline
practice with the mentality of preparing to perform. There is a
Body/Mind Connection
huge difference between merely “putting in the time” on a piece
or passage of music and actually realizing your own needs for
(Be sure to also check out the PRACTICE BLOG
starting on page 4!)
each particular piece of music and subsequently planning out
what is needed in order to methodically bring the music up to the
desired level of performance. The difference comes down to playing for yourself in a practice room or
preparing to present what you are working on to an audience. For example:
● Be aware that some sections which feel fine in the practice room will not survive when placed under the
pressure of performing. If you are thinking forward toward the actual act of performing, perhaps not
quite so much time will be spent on the sections you really know well – which actually do not need to be
played again and again. More time will be spent breaking down and solidifying those areas that could be
a bit more “iffy” if taken out of the practice room.
● Be considerate of what is necessary physically to project and communicate your musical ideas on a
larger scale (i.e., think of playing in a hall rather than a practice room).
● Give yourself specific thoughts to recall during performing specific sections of music such as, “Drop
your shoulders here for optimal sound and facility,” or “Breathe out here in order to release the bow arm,”
or “Sing and Ring!” and so on. Preparing in such a way during your practice sessions and with such a
mentality of finding whatever it will take during the upcoming performance to most clearly present each
musical idea will guarantee a higher standard of performing. Creating “mental markers” as simple as the
ones I have written out above will allow your body and mind to recall during the performance all that you
prepared so well in the practice room. These mental commands change often for me as my body,
instrument, and frame of mind change daily – but that’s the fun of practicing! 
BREAKING IT DOWN
BABY STEPS
Since the purpose of practicing is to eliminate the barriers or “hiccups” which hinder the flow between
your imagination and the ears of your future audience, a practice session can be compared to a trip to the
doctor. Your mind is the doctor, your playing is the patient, and your inner-ear or imagination is the
exemplary human body in perfect health into which the doctor would like his patient to eventually
develop. Your job as the doctor is to compare the patient with this perfectly healthy human body,
determine the patient’s shortcomings, and prescribe what is necessary to improve the patient’s health. In
short, your job as a practicing musician is this: “If there is a problem, determine what it is, why it
happened, and how to prevent it from happening in the future.”
In order to help myself as the “doctor” in my practice sessions, I have come up with a list of seven items
through which I can systematically pass any piece of music, any phrase, or even any single note in order
to determine if I am being true to my inner ear. This list has been my “stethoscope” in helping to locate,
define, and eliminate the barriers and hiccups between my imagination and my dream performance.
1) Intonation Is it in tune? Am I taking the piano/orchestra part with its harmonic direction into
consideration in choosing my intonation? Is it expressive? Or is it pure? Or is it tempered? Which
sections do I consistently play out of tune? Why?
2) Rhythm Am I playing all the right rhythms? Is it directly on the beat, before the beat, or on
the back of the beat? Does it move forward? Does it ritard naturally? Am I taking into
consideration the composer’s style/background along with the flow of the other instrumental
parts? Do I need to break it down and play slowly with the metronome?
3) Bow division Have I planned to use my bow in a way that reflects all accurate rhythms?
Have I taken into consideration all of the elements that follow: dynamics, phrasing, and quality of
sound?
4) Dynamics Have I followed all of the composer’s directives on placement of
dynamics/character of dynamics? Have I studied the score in order to understand the placement
of dynamics with the other instruments? Is it well planned out, or do I have randomly chosen
areas which I play a certain way for technical reasons and not musical reasons?
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5) Character/mood/direction of phrase Is this phrase in the character that I really want? Does
my body reflect the mood? Does my choice of phrasing follow the structure in which the work
was composed? Am I leading my listener somewhere or am I musically stuck? Is this how I
would sing it if I didn’t have my instrument?
6) Sound production/quality of sound Is this the quality of sound that reflects the character,
mood, and direction of the phrase? How would I sing it?
7) Relaxed coordination/thinking ahead Is my body being used in the most efficient manner?
Do I have tension? If so, why? And how do I play this passage with the least possible physical
exertion? Am I tripping up because my mind is not singing far enough ahead so that my body
becomes surprised and things happen by accident?
I often find it helpful to practice with colored pencils at hand, marking (in a XEROX COPY) any problem
spots in any of the seven listed areas above, so that I can know exactly what to improve in my next
practice session. Also, when I am having difficulty improving a phrase, I often find it helpful to single
out one area of focus and eliminate any other thoughts. For example, if I decide to improve my intonation
on a particular spot, I will eliminate all thoughts on rhythm, division of bow, dynamics, etc… and only
add back the other elements one at a time after I have adequately improved the area in focus.
BEYOND THE INSTRUMENT
Practicing is a physical exercise which demands an enormous amount of mental discipline. Indeed, a
musician who practices well will discover the need to develop more than just muscle memory, for
practicing wisely requires…
● Self-reliance and trust, in order to know when your body has learned what it is that your “doctor” is
teaching it and when to let it rest. Breaks are very important for keeping the body AND mind at their
optimal functioning levels.
● Imagination and courage, in order to seek out and discover what is really YOU and how it is that YOU
truly want to make music, and to take the time to listen to your inner-Heifitz.
● Mental preparation and discipline, in order to seek out your own imagination, but also to make sure
that your imagination coincides with that of the composer. Studying the entire score of a work BEFORE
picking up the instrument, familiarizing yourself with the particular style of that composer, and digesting
any pertinent background material from the life of the composer and/or the time in which the piece was
written are all necessary activities in understanding a work as you prepare to perform. If there is any
discrepancy between your own ideas and that of the composer, then it is your responsibility as a
performer to take the steps necessary to more fully educate yourself on all that can be learned about the
composer at hand.
● Keen awareness of the state of your body and mind and their connection. Practicing well requires
constant physical and mental re-assessments in order to determine whether you are possibly over-tired,
bored, adequately challenged, overwhelmed, or in need of taking smaller “bites.” For example: Is how I
am working actually improving this passage or have I become like a robot and started drilling needlessly?
Is my brain too tired to digest the work I am doing right now or should I find a new way to feed it
information? Is my body too tired to keep up with my mind? Should I take a break and come back?
In addition, this sort of objective self-evaluation will show that sometimes you have to “push on” in a
disciplined practice session, while other times you just need to let yourself indulge in those juicy passages
which you know you can play really well and do not really need to practice so much. (I call this “letting
it rip,” ignoring any problem spots as I play through an entire section or piece merely for the sake of
enjoyment.) This balance is EXTREMELY important in allowing yourself the room to remain inspired
and in love with what you are doing. This is no different than in real life outside of the practice room;
living a healthy lifestyle requires that you allow yourself adequate time for relaxation and rejuvenation, or
“play-time,” in addition to your time for hard work, so that your hard work is most productive.
MOLLY CARR, VIOLA
PRACTICE BLOG
In addition to presenting much of what I have learned about efficient practicing, I would like to use this page
as a type of journal in which I can post my ideas on specific aspects of playing the viola. This will include
technical and mental “tips and tricks” to aid in tackling various techniques and/or specific musical passages
in the viola repertoire. I will try to post my ideas on as many “practice/technical difficulties” topics as
possible in answer to the questions I receive. Please feel free to send me any questions or requests for new
topics via the CONTACT page on my website.
TOPIC #1: All I’ve learned about… OCTAVES
Left Hand:
● LIGHT left hand pressure; if you think your hand is barely pressing – press even less! You’ll be surprised
just how light your left hand can be and still produce a ringing sound. Playing with a light left hand
improves facility AND intonation consistency.
● Shift with the arm and hand as one unit. The shift should originate from the shoulder and elbow. No
wiggly wrist (even in the upper positions when the wrist is bent over the instrument, STILL move with the
arm).
● Play with the flattest fingers possible – as much flesh as possible touches the fingerboard.
● A higher placement of the thumb on the neck of the instrument helps to achieve the lighter pressure, flatter
fingers, and more relaxed/consistently-structured hand position.
● Pick a spot in the hand as a point of balance upon which you can focus your mind’s eye (whether it’s the
1st finger, the 4th finger, or a spot in the middle of your palm), and picture it moving in a perfectly straight
horizontal line up the fingerboard to your nose and back down again as you shift up and down.
● Sometimes it helps most to focus on the 1st finger as your balance point (to the point where you’re almost
forgetting that you’re playing another finger) as you shift UP and hone in on it as shifting to specific points
on the fingerboard; sometimes it also helps to do the same for the 4th finger as you shift DOWN (but this
depends on the passage; in some passages it could help to just keep your focus on ONE finger going both
ways – your decision!).
● Be sure to keep a released and heavy elbow which hangs and “swings” as you shift.
● Perhaps most important of all: Remember to keep your hand in a position which feels as natural as when
your body is at rest!
Right Hand:
● The hands love to work in the same direction. In other words, your left hand usually will have an easier
time shifting upward on an upbow and downward on a downbow. Therefore, determining on which bow
your octave-playing left-hand should shift, whether it’s at the end of the “old bow” or the beginning of the
“new bow” at a the bowchange, will dramatically aid in left-hand accuracy.
● Sometimes thinking of balancing the bow to the lower octave aids in intonation – much like listening down
to the lowest voice or bass line in a string quartet aids in fixing the group’s intonation.
● Other times, for a consistent and healthy tone, it helps to focus your mind’s eye on an “imaginary middle
string” and balance your bow on that string strung between the two sounding notes.
TOPIC #2: All I’ve learned about… THIRDS
Purpose of practicing them?
1) To teach yourself a natural hand and arm position
2) Hand balance
3) They’re damn hard! If you can play thirds well, almost everything else will seem easier.
4) They’re a good technique to have under your belt! 
N.B. – Careful! You can end up hurting yourself if you don’t pay attention and don’t use your body in a
“happy” way.
Different tips and tricks that will help you play thirds with ease:
LEFT HAND:
1) Weight of viola into collar bone (AKA – viola UP!)
2) Constant releasing of left shoulder
3) Heavy, released, and swinging elbow
4) Natural hand position (which includes….)
a. Flatter fingers (more flesh on the fingerboard – no claw-like curling of the fingers)
b. LIGHT fingers (again, you’ll be surprised just how light your fingers can be in order to
still produce a ringing sound…)
c. Mobile thumb (for constant rebalancing and lightness)
d. Balance not only on the “pivot point” at the center of the hand, but also between 1st and
3rd fingers over an imaginary string between the two fingers/notes that are being played
st
5) Keep 1 and 3rd fingers down ALWAYS and merely drop the 2nd and 4th fingers – so it’s simple
horizontal motion from 1/3 double stop to 1/3 double stop
6) Shift with ARM to keep hand position constant
Extra note: If struggling with intonation, you can…
1) Start by making sure your mind is clear on the EXACT intonation of the lower line (no guessing)
and don’t even finger the upper line yet
2) Do the same on the upper line
3) Play the lower line while fingering the upper
4) Do the same on the upper line
5) When you begin to put the two lines together again, take the time to determine the note of highest
“accuracy percentage” in each double stop and focus on that note as you shift to it (sometimes
almost forgetting about the other finger – it will follow naturally)
RIGHT HAND:
1) Balance on imaginary string between the two being played – when the right hand is balanced and
“happy” the other hand will have an easier time feeling that way as well
2) Have a clear idea of when you’re shifting – in general, shift on the OLD bow for
comfort/coordination between hands and consequent clarity
TOPIC #3: All I’ve learned about… RICOCHET
What makes the stroke?
1) Vertical drop
Combined with…
2) Horizontal motion
…for a natural curve. (like a wave on a graph)
Tips and tricks to help:
1) slight lift of body motion before drop
2) light right hand thumb for easily attained resonance and “viola-depth” in sound (“let the bridge be
your thumb”)
3) released right shoulder, so no energy is caught or locked in the arm, and the motion is smooth and
effortless
4) Pivot around balance point in bow hand
5) PLAN on the number of notes under the slur being the number of notes you’ll produce
(2,3,4,5,etc…). Don’t guess.
6) Feel the number of notes in the 2nd and 3rd fingers on the frog of the bow
7) If the ricochet is unclear, then choose specific notes on which to focus (usually, focusing on either
the 1st note or the 2nd to last note under the slur helps most, but depending on the passage and the
placement of the string crossings, this could vary)
TOPIC #4: All I’ve learned about… FEARLESSLY PLAY PERPETUAL MOTIONS:
GOALS IN PRACTICING:
1) To SIMPLIFY everything to the point where all elements are guaranteed to work every time.
2) To MAKE DECISIONS about everything possible, so nothing is left to "chance" or "hope" - and to
discover what to think about at every moment, so your brain is allowed NO room to panic
3) ACT LIKE AN ATHLETE - use your time in the practice room for finding how to accomplish
perfection with the LEAST amount of work possible (AKA... eliminate anything unnecessary in your body
motions for complete body efficiency and relaxed coordination). And doing this by using your brain to teach
your body the motions one step at a time. If the bite you took is too big to digest, break it into smaller
portions that you can understand and hold on to permanently.
HOW TO...
1) SIMPLIFY:
Breaking it down to the very basics - THREE LARGE PLANES OF MOTION
A. How do you make sound? Moving your bow horizontally. (so eliminate any extra motions besides the
necessary basic motion of back and forth)
B. How do you make pitch? Dropping your fingers in specific "notches" on the fingerboard. Each note has an
exact location, and your arm moves up and down the fingerboard dropping fingers into these exactly located
notches. Think type-writer motion to, again, eliminate any extraneous motions as you move up and down the
fingerboard in a straight line.
C. 7 basic planes of balance. Four strings, with an additional three options of double-stop balance between
strings.
HOW TO…
2) MAKE DECISIONS and OBSERVATIONS ON HOW YOUR BODY WORKS BEST:
ex:
-intonation (where is the "exact location" of each note?/how will you get there?)
-left hand balance
-shifts (old bow? new bow? old finger? new finger? new plane[string]?)
-amount of bow needed for these shifts/needed for phrasing/needed for dynamics/etc
-closeness of bow to bridge (quality of sound?/shifts?/higher positions of left hand on fingerboard?/phrasing
- tension, release)
-balance of both hands on 7 planes (where do I change planes?)
HOW TO…
3) TAKE ATHLETIC PRACTICING STEPS:
A. intonation ONLY
- practice with NO TEMPO
- practice with NO ATTENTION TO BOW
- don't play a single note unless you KNOW it will be in the right place before you play it
B. Incorporating bow decisions
- exact amounts (from all your decisions in #2)
- exact balance planes/where you change between the 7 planes
-all still with NO TEMPO - only as fast as your brain can digest all three of the large planes of motion
-7x in a row without missing anything
C. incorporating rhythm.
- with metronome SLOWLY. SLOWLY. SLOWLY.
- speed up in increments, the old traditional way - a few notches on the metronome at a time.
-NEVER faster than you can control everything - you should always feel like everything is still "slow" to
you, even in a fast tempo.
-no panicking.
-rely on the beat. It's your friend. SIT ON IT. Don't let it push you
- NOTHING CHANGES AS YOU GET FASTER. All of the decisions you made stay put.