The Importance of Space to Practice
All artists need space in which to work. For writers, this is an office. For painters, a studio. It’s an environment where they can work undisturbed and uninhibited. This is true of musicians as well. The difference is that for musicians, the space is an audible space as well as a physical space. It’s pretty hard to write, play or sing in 100% practice mode if you know somebody else is listening. By definition, if somebody is listening, it is a performance, and you will be judged, either consciously or unconsciously.
When I’m really going for it, and practicing, I need my own space. I live in a double glazed, detached house on a quiet suburban road. That means that if nobody’s home, I can go for it as much as possible and not risk feeling stupid if I want to try something that didn’t work.
It’s pretty rare that nobody’s home, so consequently I have to work hard to try and practice around. I practice quietly when I know nobody’s nearby, or I lock myself in the conservatory which means the spill of sound into the house is pretty low. We are currently renovating another house which stands empty most of the time, and so I can go and practice in there for the time being.
Sometimes I also practice in the earshot of people. I tend to practice pieces I’m already happy with, particularly ones that I have not performed out. I usually do this to fish for compliments and to gauge the reaction of people. It makes pretty good performance practice and can help to both highlight potential problems and improve confidence.
If somebody does catch you, and then mocks you or laughs at your expense, just ignore it. They aren’t any better than you; if they were, they wouldn’t laugh but would encourage you, so don’t be knocked down by it.
So in conclusion, if you find you can’t practice while others are around, do whatever you can in your power to find the time to practice while people are not around, and make the most of the time you do get.