When you to students practicing, there's one thing that is often conspicuously absent. Silence. You'll typically hear a good bit of repetition - but not a lot of quiet time or space between repetitions. And why does this matter? Well, studies have found that too little space between repetitions - or too short an "inter-trial interval" can actually inhibit learning. So...is there an optimal length of time to inject between repetitions? Get all the nerdy details here: For More Effective Practice, Try…Longer…Pauses ==== Why do things sound better at home than they do on stage? If you’ve been confused (and frustrated) by the inconsistency of your performances, I put together a FREE 4-minute quiz called the Mental Skills Audit, which will help you pinpoint your mental strengths and weaknesses, and figure out what exactly to adjust and tweak in your preparation for more consistently optimal performances. You can take the Mental Skills Audit online at bulletproofmusician.com/msa. It’s 100% free, takes only 4 minutes, and you’ll get a downloadable PDF with a personalized breakdown of where you stand in six key mental skill areas, plus curated articles that will help you adjust and tweak your preparation for more consistently optimal performances. Take the quiz here: bulletproofmusician.com/msa