If you hear yourself saying something during your rehearsal like "whoops — I always do that," cool your jets and get your pencil out.

Mark your music in a way that will make sense to you when you get to that spot. Slow down your tempo and do a little bit at a time (isolate) until each piece is good. Then put the pieces back together and then back into context (integrate). Get a running start and let your markings help you.

This will bring improvement far more effectively than crashing through it haphazardly and leaving the pieces wherever they land. The bull-in-a-china-shop approach is often counterproductive, truth be told. I often think of it as Hulk Smash. And nobody likes to be smashed.

So mark it up, slow it down, and isolate/integrate. Try not to smash things.

You can do it. I'll help.