practice

[IMPSX-UE]

Music was not separate from everyday life. Rather, music was a force that communicated the relationship of people to nature, and people to each other. Two thousand years ago, the practice of improvisation was widerspread among the ancient Greeks. (Hello, everybody! What does "practice" mean in this context? I found several definitions for it in the dictionary, Cambridge Dictionaries Online - Cambridge University Press I can not figure out which one is suitable for this case! Then what is your opinion? Thank you very much for your help!) The Greeks based their improvisations on what we might call "stock melodies" - a collection of tunes known by all musicians. ... ...

[abaka]

the habit of improvisation, the widespread use of improvisation.

Practice as in "practical": the opposite of theory, i.e. action, doing things.

[David L.]

Here, in your excerpt, it means: something that is usually or regularly done

"It's common practice in the States to tip your hairdresser."