Using a Video Recorder For Practice Sessions

An Addendum to “Physician Heal Thyself”

The tutelage received from your private teacher is only as good as your application during practice. A few years ago I started this blog with a series of posts – “Physician Heal Thyself” – related to this.

As noted in this series, the tuner, metronome and recording device are powerful tools to self-monitor your progress and in effect, teach yourself. These are required tools for any aspiring musician.

In the past few years, video recorders have dropped drastically in price. Arizona State doctoral candidate Derek Wright has blogged on his own experiences with video camcorders and offers some excellent advice worth checking out.

See http://derek-wright.com/?p=30.

While I was in school years back, I practiced most of the time in front of a mirror. I looked for anything unusual: poor posture, odd facial expressions, tight shoulders…anything that looked tensed or out-of-place. The problem with using a mirror however is that it can take your focus away from the music and take your head out of the moment. Too much attention can be paid to the physical aspects of playing and not enough to the music itself.

The beauty of a camcorder, on the other hand, is that the video can be watched later. The student can watch the video as an impartial observer, outside of the experience. Also, because the video captures both video and audio, the student can observe both musical and physical at once. I am always seeking ways to “kill two birds with one stone” and this certainly fits that bill.

With camcorders being more affordable (and portable) these days, they are a most worthy addition to any music student’s arsenal.

• UPDATE: See a favorable review of the Flip Video Mino.