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Music Practice Guides

Practical guides on BPM tracking, metronome practice, speed training, and building consistent habits — for any instrument.

July 30, 2026
Crank. 2.0 — Practice Sessions, Ranks, Goals, and 8 Languages
Crank. 2.0 is the biggest update yet: structured practice sessions, a ten-rank ladder, weekly goals, deeper stats — and full localization in 8 languages.
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July 24, 2026
How Long Does It Take to Get a Riff Up to Speed?
A realistic timeline for getting a riff to full tempo: measure your gap in BPM, expect a few durable BPM per week on hard material, and count in weeks, not days.
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July 24, 2026
Stuck at the Same BPM for Weeks? How to Break a Practice Plateau
When your BPM stops climbing: how to tell consolidation from a real plateau, and five concrete resets — deload, shrink the fragment, change subdivision, and more.
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July 24, 2026
Alternate Picking Speed: A Tracking-First Practice Plan
Skip the technique debates: a measurement-driven plan for faster alternate picking — one-string fragments, strict down-up accounting, 5 BPM steps, and a logged clean max.
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July 24, 2026
Bass Practice With a Metronome: Groove First, Speed Second
A bass-specific metronome routine: lock to beats 2 and 4, log clean tempo on real lines, build fingerstyle stamina, and track speed without losing the pocket.
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July 24, 2026
How Many Hours a Day Should You Practice? Less Than You Think
For most players, 20–45 focused minutes a day beats an unfocused two hours. Why quality and consistency outrank duration — and how to structure a short session.
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July 23, 2026
Double Bass Drum Speed: How to Train It and Track Your BPM
Double kick speed grows the same way any technique does: short patterns, a metronome, clean reps, and 5 BPM steps. Here's the training loop — and why logging it matters.
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July 23, 2026
Piano Tempo Practice: How to Get a Passage Up to Speed
Getting a piano passage to performance tempo: start at your clean tempo, work hands separately, isolate the hard bars, and climb in 5 BPM steps. The full method.
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July 23, 2026
Why Practicing Near Your Target Tempo Backfires
Grinding reps just below your goal tempo feels productive — but those reps are usually tense and sloppy, and you're training the tension. Here's the faster route.
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July 22, 2026
Clean Max vs Top Speed: Which BPM Should You Log?
Your top speed is the fastest you can scrape through a passage once. Your clean max is the fastest you can play it well, repeatedly. Log the clean max — here's why.
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July 22, 2026
Modacity vs a BPM Tracker: Which Should You Use?
Modacity tracks how you spend practice time. A BPM tracker measures whether you're actually playing faster. Different questions, different tools — here's how to choose.
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July 21, 2026
What BPM Should You Start a New Passage At?
Start a new passage at the fastest tempo you can play it perfectly three times in a row, tension-free — not your goal speed. Here's how to find your real starting BPM.
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July 17, 2026
Metronome Subdivision Exercises That Build Real Speed
Keep the metronome at one BPM and change your subdivisions — quarters, eighths, triplets, sixteenths. Here's why subdivision practice builds cleaner speed than just cranking the tempo.
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July 14, 2026
How Fast Should You Increase BPM When Practicing?
Raise the metronome 5–10 BPM only after 4–10 clean reps at your current tempo. Here's the safe rate to increase BPM — and why chasing daily records backfires.
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July 7, 2026
How to Track Piano Tempo Progress Over Time
Pianists often practise scales and passages without logging tempo. Learn how to track BPM on piano fragments and see measurable progress week over week.
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July 4, 2026
Music Practice Apps: Why Tracking Time Isn't Enough
Session timers and streak apps help you show up. But if you want to play faster, you need BPM data on specific fragments — here's the difference.
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July 1, 2026
BPM Practice Tracker for Drummers: How to Log Fill Speed
Drummers need tempo data on fills and grooves — not just session time. How to track BPM on drum fragments and see real speed progress over weeks.
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June 28, 2026
Guitar Practice Log: Why You Should Track BPM, Not Just Minutes
A guitar practice log that only records minutes can't tell you if you improved. Here's what to write down instead — and why BPM is the metric that matters.
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June 25, 2026
How to Increase Guitar BPM (Without Racing the Metronome)
Stuck at the same tempo? Learn the 5 BPM rule, when to drop speed, and why logging your clean max beats guessing — a practical system for faster playing.
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June 22, 2026
BPM Tracker App: What Musicians Should Actually Log
A BPM tracker app should measure speed on specific passages — not just practice time. Learn what to log, how often, and why tempo data beats a stopwatch.
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June 18, 2026
Crank. Is Now on the App Store
Crank., the BPM practice tracker for musicians, is now available on the App Store. Track your speed, log sessions, and see your progress over time.
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June 9, 2026
The Best Practice Tracking Apps for Musicians in 2026
Most practice apps track time, not progress. An honest breakdown of what to look for — and why BPM tracking matters more than hours logged.
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June 2, 2026
The Only Music Practice Habit That Actually Works
You don't need a perfect routine — you need to show up. Why streaks, low friction, and tracking one number beat marathon sessions.
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May 26, 2026
Guitar Speed Training: Why You're Not Getting Faster (And How to Fix It)
Stuck on the same lick for weeks? Learn why one-speed practice, tension, and missing data kill progress — and a simple system to fix it.
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May 19, 2026
How to Practice With a Metronome (The Right Way)
Most musicians use a metronome wrong. Learn to start slow, use subdivisions, follow the 5 BPM rule, and log every session for real progress.
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May 12, 2026
How to Track BPM Progress for Guitar Practice (And Why It Matters)
Most guitarists practice without tracking their progress. Here's why logging your BPM changes everything — and how to do it effectively.
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Crank. 2.0 — Practice Sessions, Ranks, Goals, and 8 Languages

How Long Does It Take to Get a Riff Up to Speed?

Stuck at the Same BPM for Weeks? How to Break a Practice Plateau

Alternate Picking Speed: A Tracking-First Practice Plan

Bass Practice With a Metronome: Groove First, Speed Second

How Many Hours a Day Should You Practice? Less Than You Think

Double Bass Drum Speed: How to Train It and Track Your BPM

Piano Tempo Practice: How to Get a Passage Up to Speed

Why Practicing Near Your Target Tempo Backfires

Clean Max vs Top Speed: Which BPM Should You Log?

Modacity vs a BPM Tracker: Which Should You Use?

What BPM Should You Start a New Passage At?

Metronome Subdivision Exercises That Build Real Speed

How Fast Should You Increase BPM When Practicing?

How to Track Piano Tempo Progress Over Time

Music Practice Apps: Why Tracking Time Isn't Enough

BPM Practice Tracker for Drummers: How to Log Fill Speed

Guitar Practice Log: Why You Should Track BPM, Not Just Minutes

How to Increase Guitar BPM (Without Racing the Metronome)

BPM Tracker App: What Musicians Should Actually Log

Crank. Is Now on the App Store

The Best Practice Tracking Apps for Musicians in 2026

The Only Music Practice Habit That Actually Works

Guitar Speed Training: Why You're Not Getting Faster (And How to Fix It)

How to Practice With a Metronome (The Right Way)

How to Track BPM Progress for Guitar Practice (And Why It Matters)