
Practice Plan
Why a Practice Plan Matters
Practicing without a plan often means playing the same easy things over and over, or running out of time before working on the parts that actually need attention. A short, structured routine — even just 15 minutes — makes your practice time far more effective than playing randomly for twice as long. Use the plan that fits the time you have today; consistency matters more than length.
15-Minute Practice Plan
For a quick session — before school, before work, or on a busy day.
| L'heure | Focus | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 3 min | Sound & Breathing | Long tones, slow and controlled — Practice your long tones exercises |
| 5 min | Scale review | One majeur ou pentatonic scale, slow with the metronome at 70–80 BPM |
| 3 min | Lecture | One short line from Learn to read music |
| 4 min | Play & enjoy | One backing track or short song from Play Music & have fun |
Tip: if you only have 15 minutes, don’t skip the long tones — sound quality is what carries everything else.
30-Minute Practice Plan
A balanced session that touches every part of your playing.
| L'heure | Focus | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 5 min | Sound & Breathing | Long tones + soft dynamics |
| 10 min | Technique | Rotate through 2–3 Major Scales ou Pentatonic Scales, metronome at 80–100 BPM |
| 5 min | Patterns | One or two exercises from Patterns For Improvisation, same tempo as above |
| 5 min | Lecture | A short new exercise, focus on rhythm accuracy |
| 5 min | Play & enjoy | A backing track or a song you’re working on |
Tip: increase the metronome speed by 5–10 BPM only once a scale or pattern feels fully comfortable — don’t rush the tempo.
45-Minute Practice Plan
For days when you have real time to make progress.
| L'heure | Focus | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 5 min | Sound & Breathing | Long tones, soft and loud dynamics |
| 5 min | Fingerings | Review Saxophone Notes & Fingerings if a note or transition still feels unclear |
| 12 min | Technique | Full rotation of scales (majeur + pentatonic), metronome progression from 80 to 110 BPM |
| 8 min | Patterns | 2–3 pattern exercises, both in C and transposed to another key |
| 5 min | Lecture | A slightly longer or new reading exercise |
| 10 min | Play & enjoy | Backing tracks, a song, or free improvisation using today’s scales and patterns |
Tip: this is the plan where transposing patterns into other keys becomes realistic — use the extra time to try a pattern you already know well in a new key.