Consistent Practicing Makes Permanent Improvement

by Jenny Peters | Aug 6, 2021 | Beginners

Consistent Practicing for Permanent Improvement

Do you want to learn to practice better? Do you want results when you work on something new? Well, we’ve developed a new membership program called Practice Makes Permanent to address these goals. In this membership program, you’ll get guidance on how to practice consistently and mindfully. You will have a permanent improvement in your ukulele skill.

To show you how it works, we thought showing my consistent practicing would be helpful. Over a period of several weeks, I have used the same charts I created for you. In my videos, you can see how consistent, slow practice creates improvement over time. I may be working on harder music, but the principle is the same. Consistent and mindful practicing makes permanent improvement.

Jenny’s Practicing Videos

I hope these videos will show how improvement is hard to detect when you’re doing it. But if you record over a period of 3 to 4 weeks and listen back to how you sounded at the beginning, you can hear growth. Journaling about what works and what doesn’t is helpful too. Marking things off on a chart, to keep you on track works wonders!

I recorded three different songs or etudes. The first song was a fingerpicking etude that moves up the neck of the ukulele. Here is my progress over 4 weeks on this etude. An etude is a study that works on something that is hard. It’s supposed to teach you how to get better at that technique.

Fingerpicking Etude

Watch videos of me practicing this 4 measure phrase over the course of 4 weeks. It takes a while, but daily repetitions build competence.

Spanish Fandango – Working on the “Hard” Part

Then, I worked on “Spanish Fandango.” I only recorded the hard part for you. Watch here to see my progress over 4 weeks.

Spanish Fandango is a beautiful piece from the classical guitar tradition. It is composed by Henry Worrall and arranged for ukulele by N.B. Bailey.

Spanish Fandango Performance

After practicing the fast part at the end A LOT, I could play the whole piece. Enjoy!

“Ain’t She Sweet” and “Five Foot Two”

I am also working on learning chord melodies. Enjoy my progress over four weeks ans I learned these two songs.

Using Practice Charts and Journaling Helps a Lot

I used charts for 4 weeks and made videos at the end of each week. I also recorded my thoughts about my progress (or lack thereof LOL) in a journal. Here is a picture of my practice chart and journal.

The Practice Makes Permanent Program gives you charts and journaling questions to guide your practice.

Jenny’s Consistent Practicing Journal Entries

7/2/2021

“Ain’t She Sweet” and “Five Foot Two” are getting better. In “Five Foot Two,” there are some mistakes and it is too slow. I’ll record in a week after I’ve practiced it.

In Spanish Fandango, a lot of the notes are unclear, because the finger is not close enough to the fret. I’ll keep working as described above and review progress in a week.

7/4/2021

Practiced everything on the chart. Took 30 minutes. Did fun stuff at night before bed. (Blues and Ukulele Book)

7/5/2021

Practiced everything on the chart. Found this link for “Spanish Fandango.” Had to do the 16ths at 50% speed. Can play the rest of the song at tempo. Bookmarked the link for tomorrow. Practicing with the YouTube video was helpful. I could hear if I got it right and I could slow the music down a lot.

7/10/2021

Since my playing was so sloppy on “Spanish Fandango,” I’m going to practice it at a tempo where I don’t mess up. I won’t try to go any faster until I know it better. “Five Foot Two” and “Ain’t She Sweet” are coming along well, so I’ll play these songs at moderate speeds to maintain them. The Etude is getting better

7/11/2021

It would be great if I could add singing to “Five Foot Two” and “Ain’t She Sweet.” That makes them more interesting and is an added challenge. I know “Five Foot Two” a lot better. The etude is improving. “Spanish Fandango” is too hard. I’m going to practice it at moderate tempos only, so I don’t learn sloppy habits. Go slow to go fast.

7/12/2021

I went through all the songs on the chart. I figured out new inversions of chords for “Ain’t She Sweet” for singing and memorized the lyrics. “Spanish Fandango” is getting better.

Practice Makes Permanent Program

Teaches you how to practice

If all these practicing tips interest you, find out more by going to our new membership program. We call it the “Practice Makes Permanent Program.” We’ll teach you how consistent and mindful practicing makes permanent improvement.

Gives you practice charts and a journal

Each lesson comes with a practice chart and Questions for Reflection. These charts and questions will help you to do what I did to learn my music better. When you plan your practice and reflect on it, you make progress. Remember, consistent and mindful practicing makes permanent improvement. Good luck!

Do you want to learn how to practice better?

In our “Practice Makes Permanent Program,” we’ll teach you how to practice. You’ll get an online membership that gives you specific practice guidance on how to improve at your ukulele.

Teach a Rest Position

Create a standard position players use whenever they are listening:

Place the ukulele flat against the body.
Rest the strumming hand gently on the strings.
Keep both hands still.
Look toward the leader.

Call it “rest position” and demonstrate it at the group’s first meeting. Use the same phrase consistently: “Ukuleles in rest position, please.”

This physically mutes the strings and gives everyone a clear visual signal that playing has stopped.

Use One Attention Signal

Choose a signal that can be seen or heard across the room. Possibilities include:

Raising one hand
Playing a short, distinctive chord
Saying, “Rest position”

Explain the signal before rehearsal begins: “When you see my hand raised, finish the chord you are playing, mute your strings, and look up.”

Avoid competing with the group by repeatedly talking over the instruments. Give the signal, pause, and wait until everyone is ready.

Set a Clear “No Noodling” Expectation

Many players noodle because they are excited, nervous, practicing a difficult chord, or unaware that it is distracting. Address the behavior without embarrassing anyone.

Try saying:

“Between songs, please mute your strings so everyone can hear the instructions. We’ll always give you a moment to check chords before we begin.”

Then build short, intentional practice windows into the session:

“Take 20 seconds to find the opening chord.”
“Quietly check the change from C to G7.”
“Let’s try that strum together once.”

Players are more likely to stop playing at random when they know when practice is welcome.

Amplify the Leader, Not the Entire Room

In larger groups, a small microphone, portable speaker, or amplified ukulele can save the leader’s voice and make directions easier to follow. Amplification should provide clarity—not to overpower the players.

Test the equipment before the session, position the speaker where everyone can hear it, and keep spoken instructions short. A microphone cannot replace an attention routine, but it makes a good routine much more effective.

Create Predictable Transitions

Noodling often fills uncertainty. Tell players exactly what is happening next:

1. “Finish the final chord.”
2. “Rest position.”
3. “Turn to page 14.”
4. “Find a C chord.”
5. “Watch for my count-in.”

Use a visible or audible count-in before every song. Once players learn that nothing begins until the leader counts them in, spontaneous starts become less common.

6. Operate iPads for music.

Many ukulele groups read off iPads, and everyone buys the same app. forScore is one of the common ones, but don’t get anything until the group leader tells you which one they use. From there, the leader or the singer/songwriter shares the music by AirDrop, so everyone is reading off the same page. Corrections land with the whole group at once, and nobody is working from an outdated copy.

A Simple Group Agreement

At the beginning of a session, say:

“To help everyone hear and learn, we use rest position whenever someone is speaking. When I raise my hand, please mute your strings and look up. You’ll have time to check chords before each song, and we’ll always start together on the count-in.”

The goal is not silence for its own sake. It is to create a group in which instructions are brief, rehearsals move smoothly, and everyone gets more time to make music together.

Here’s a list of etiquette expectations from ukulele group members to make the group learning more effective and fruitful for everyone.

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Consistent Practicing Makes Permanent Improvement

Consistent Practicing for Permanent Improvement