Day 7: Lock it in (and make it repeatable)

What you’ll accomplish today

By the end of Day 7, you’ll have:

• final “proof” that your spot is stable
• your personal Problem Spot method written down
• a next-spot plan (so you don’t go back to guessing next week)

‍

Step 1: Quick clean-reps check

Set your metronome at your best comfortable tempo today.

Go for 10 clean reps in a row.

If you miss on rep 7 or 8:

• drop tempo slightly and get to 10
• then do one small tempo bump and try again (only once)

‍

Step 2: Put it back in the piece

Now it's time to test it in context. Set up your phone and record 3 takes of:

• 3 bars before → the spot → 3 bars after

If it falls apart, don't stress out. Go back and look for the "missing thought." Once you identify it, do the reps and try again.

‍

Step 3: Write your Problem Spot Card

Keep it short. This is your reusable toolkit:

• My spot: (piece + bars)
• What was actually wrong: (one sentence)
• What fixed it: (top 2–3 "missing thought" reminders)
• My speed plan: (tempo ladder / bursts)

Even if the spot isn't 100% yet, you now have a plan to keep improving it over time.

‍

Step 4: Choose your next spot

Once you've made progress with one spot, it's time to move on to the next.

Pick your next tiny “box” in your repertoire and write:

• target tempo
• starting tempo
• what “clean” means

This is the real transformation: you’re not stuck anymore – you have a method.

‍

Step 5: The “keep it fixed” rule

Even after you've resolved a problem spot, it's going to need regular "maintenance:"

• once per day: play the spot once in context (no stopping)
• if it wobbles: 10 clean isolated reps, then one more context run

That’s enough to keep it alive without turning it into an ongoing project.

‍

Watch today’s clip (1 minute)

Bill Kanengiser: “Do the preparation, and you've done your job”

‍

Ready for the next step?

Now that you know exactly what your spot needs (shift / barre / slur / coordination), the fastest way to fix your next spot is simple: Refresh the technique on tonebase, then apply it immediately using this method.

‍

Before you go

Fill these in:

My final tempo today is: ____________________
My next spot is: ____________________

Congrats – you’ve got a system now for tackling any problem spot. Let's put it to use!

‍