When you're not working with other musicians and playing alone most of the time, there are two areas in our playing that can be affected negatively if we're not careful. Our technical facility and our time. This is why smart practicing is more important than ever right now. Here are some tips that will help keep you prepared once the time is right to play again with other musicians:

1.Play along with recordings as much as possible. This is the closest thing to playing with other musicians. Make sure you can hear the recordings clearly while playing with them. This is better than playing with a metronome. While it is still good to play along with a click or metronome these devices don't have the human rhythmic sensibilities. The ebb and flow which is important if you're going for long periods of time not working with other musicians.

2. Video tape yourself playing. Taping yourself puts an interesting kind of intensity on you while you play. It comes closet to creating the feeling of you playing in front of people so your focus is much more zeroed in verses you not recording yourself. Think about it....when you know you're being recorded you really pay more attention to not making mistakes as one example. Very different focus and recording yourself will also, or should, get you in the habit of hearing yourself objectively.

3. Start your practices with slower, simpler things with a lot of space. Take your time to give your muscles a chance to warm up and settle into what you're trying to get them to do. Use more repetition than usual. This patience helps to condition your facility. Do this every day. It could be rudiments, scales, patterns, etc. Don't rush things. When you're at the drum kit make sure you're doing routines that utilize all four limbs. Keep the independence happening. Practice dynamic variations because this is another way to keep your muscles conditioned and ready.

4. Be consistent and varied with your practicing. Practicing one day and then letting three days go by not practicing, isn't good. The consistency will keep your muscles prepared. Fewer adjustments will need to be made from day to day. Having varied practices will help your facility tremendously. After good, patient warm up routines, practice something different everyday. Different tempos, meters, feels, swinging and straight eighth note concepts. Improvisation in and out of time and again, use dynamics.

• 
•