Hello There

I find that I’ve never practised enough, there’s always something that can be improved. I feel that I can’t take a day off otherwise I might forget what I learnt the day before.

This mentality has only manifested itself in the last 2 months but I feel that my playing has improved considerably during this time as a result of my attitude, but my goodness, I'm really annoying myself sometimes and my fingers are hurting.

Does anyone else feel similar or, oh dear, is it just me?! If you do feel similar, do you think your playing benefits from this attitude?

G

Well, I definitely share this slightly obsessive attitude, at least in relation to my guitar and my cello. My cello has to go in for a service at the beginning of June, and I'm filled with horror at the idea of being without it for a few days.

I don't go a day without playing these two instruments, unless I'm either very sick, or away in a place where it's just unfeasible to take them (I usually take my guitar away with me, but the cello doesn't generally travel with me).

This kind of 'obsessive playing' really only set in this year. I think it is paying off. I've made good progress with my cello - started in Jan, and now playing grade 4 pieces. My guitar technique is stabilising, my repertoire has advanced considerably, and my sight reading on guitar is vastly improved.

I think it only helps if you practice well. I do a bunch of full run throughs, simply because I find that pleasurable. but I also do the hard graft of looking at tricky bars, and playing those over and over to get them slick.

Try it. You may be pleasantly surprised at the result.

Your playing will improve with thoughtful practice, and you can aim at perfection but you need to accept that you will rarely if ever achieve it as you are human (I'm making an assumption here...).

Once things start hurting it's time to listen to your body and stop. There are a couple of other threads already going on this subject. It is possible to do permanent damage by over-exercise of any set of muscles even if you aren't actually mis-using them in any way.

Good luck with your playing.

I can't practise every day because on two days I have a long commute (two and a half hours each way) and by the time I get home I am usually exhausted and it is in any case no longer sociable hours to be playing an oboe.

However ...

When I first started I could only play for about fifteen minutes at a time before my embouchure gave in so I used to practice once in the morning and once in the afternoon on the days when I work at home and at the weekends. These days I can play for an hour and I have to resist the temptation to carry on practising twice a day.

I practice every day, embarassingly (at the time) I practiced in the evening after taking my grade 8 in the afternoon. It's not because I think I will forget everything. Two reasons: firstly, I am happiest when playing violin, and secondly, because every day off is a day when I'm not improving. Sure, I take days off from hard work - but if someone really enjoys something which is productive and good, why should they feel guilty for doing it? Since I started practicing every single day, I have gone from thinking grade 8 was impossible to being ready for a Diploma in 8 months - yes, I would say it pays off big time

Practice is one of those things - the more you do it, the more you want to do it - and success is a great stimulant.

I find that the more practice I do, the less I notice myself improving. Probably makes no sense but it true.

I also never practice what I'm told to practice. For example I'm working on a grade 7 study at the moment, and mastered the tune and rhythms of it after the first 10 minutes of playing it, but then I get bored with it (even though I enjoy it), because I can't tell which bits are getting better and which ain't. But then with other pieces that I choose to do for fun, I can play for hours and hours. I suppose this helps with my counting, dynamics ans general sound so it isn't a complete waste of time.

I usually practice everyday, about an hour on wekdays (+ band rehersals 3 times a week), and then about 3/4 hours a day at weekends or holidays.

Sometimes I think being obsessive can do more harm than good. Playing a certain section again and again and again just thinking that the repetition will help you improve doesn't neccesarilly work. I find that when I do, and don't perfect it, I get too stressed and frustrated to continue playing anything right. Then when I take a break and come back to it after awhile I play a lot better than before when I was trying over and over again.

I practice regularly, but no more than about 75 minutes in one session. I may do two or three sessions of practice in a day, but there will always be a decent break in between. I find that practising intensively for more than 75 minutes in one session doesn't do me any good - I find it far better to do several shorter practice sessions than one 3 hour practice in one sitting.

I actually know someone who was so obsessive he damaged his hand practicing too much!

Is that someone you?

I read on this forum a while ago that some Royal Academy students practise 5 hours a day.

Apparently piano students at the Julliard are only 'allowed' (access to practise rooms is, I think, the only way they restrict it) to practise for 5 hours a day as injury risks become too great after that. The competition is so hard, though, that they apparently do practise for the maximum time they're allowed and try to do more.

Does being obsessed help? Yes, as long as you're practising in the right way, no one makes it to the top without being obsessed .

I'd say that to be dedicated you have to be obssessed, if you're not obssessed its nothing of the the ordinary.

Hope that made sense

My friend's best friend who was at Chets was all set to be a very good violinist, until she got tendonitis and was limited to playing 1 hour every day - she had to stop altogether eventually. That's why what Barry says about practicing in bits is best, if you're going to be "obsessive" - although I don't think it's obsessive, you wouldn't call someone who does 3 hours of homework obsessive, you'd call them hard-working. Or someone who does 3 hours of sport would be called active.

That also happened to a school friend of mine who was at RCM. In her third and final undergraduate year she got some sort of tendonitis and eventually had to give up playing altogether. In the end she went off to a different university, did an English degree and became a primary school teacher. The last time I heard from her, she was playing the piano (her second instrument) in assemblies and that was the limit of her musical activities. Her hand never recovered enough to play the violin again.

Such a waste for someone who was a brilliant violinist.

Hello,

Yes,I feel just the same but sad to say that I find lone practice very booring sometimes and give up after a while.I try to structure my practice but always end up playing the same old scales and exam pieces.Then I look back to where I was 2 years ago and think"I must be doing something right".

Peter

I tend to practice in hourish slots. Practice for an hour, and let my recorders dry out, which depending on the instrument, could take a while, and then practice later again for an hour....although in theory this really worked for me, some days when I put it to practice it just didnt happen!!!!!!! Wish had stuff to practice for now.....find it hard to practice when nothing to aim for!
I know people who practice for hours and hours straight...I wonder if Nat and I are thinking of the same people?????!!!

I never have a regular slot for practise or a set length, as for me piano is only a hobby and so practise depends on the amount of schoolwork I have. However I always find that practising randomly works for me.

I think 'obsessiveness' as you put it DOES sometimes help, I love those days when I can just sit down and the music seems to just flow naturally and I can sit and play for hours on end...

I love that too, on Saturday I spent 2 and a half hours in church playing the organ. Rarely get so long to play interruptedly because of course other people need to use it for different things. It sort of reminded me what it was all about.... not just passing Gr 7 this term but also just playing for the fun of it, playing because it sounded good, mucking about with the registrations.

Hello

I am a Clarinet player since age 65 after returning to playing since age 17.I have a very good professional teacher who just happens to be a jazz musician.My practice is not half as much pleasure as my lesson.Why do you think that is.
Also while I'm on I'm looking for a copy of the music for the exam pieces grade 3 2004-7.I have the CD.Any ideas where I might get a copy--I've looked at ebay!

PeterM

I sympathise. I practise instruments seriously only when I'm preparing for a performance, which is why I don't have a comprehensive technique on any of them.

You could do that if you owned enough recorders and remembered to change to another before you did any damage.

The advantage of the horn is that 3 hours a day is the most that will make you improve. (Not that I ever did that much).

Clarinet exam pieces are not published in a book like piano and violin.
You have to get the books with the pieces in separately.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT !!!

But the clue is to practice right..
Overpracticing may sometimes lead to an opposite effect..

Plus, you get bored after playing for too long, and can't be bothered. Maybe I've just made it obvious what everyone was thinking sorry

Very, very occasionally.

Thoughtful, concentrated practice stands a good chance of making better.

Exactly...

No, practice makes permenant.

I' afraid I don't understand what you actually mean...

if you practice something for hours on end, but practice it so that you learn an error, you aren't making anything perfect, but you are making that error permenant, it will have to be "unlearned". Practice makes perfect IF you practice perfectly Makes sense?

Yes indeed!

Apparently - according to some emminent psychologist, whose name I can't remember, it takes up to ten times as long to "unlearn" a conditioned "error" than it does to "learn" something fresh!

Great - so I'll be 116 before I can get a nice bowhold.

Dr Suzuki said 'only practice on the days you eat!!'

Maddening, but true!

Well, yeah I guess it also depends on what you practice. Sometimes I do it just for the sake of 'practising' that I never really go anywhere by the end of it. But before my grade six piano exam my teacher had forced me to practice for a minimum of four hours everyday... and I did (I'd be grilled alive otherwise ) And gosh, it really paid off. Of course, that only works when I REALLY practice seriously. I was doing left hand alone, then right hand alone, then analysis and all using the metronome etc... But I've sprained my wrist practising my violin for hours. Couldn't play for a couple of weeks after that. So I guess the same can't be said for all instruments.