Hi, what is the average time during a week to spend practising each instrument? Is there a specific amount that is recommended, or is it whatever is comfortable??

Soph

I do as much as I can fit in. Not so much in term time as I would like.

Everyone practising in different amounts. Never work to a time limit though ! 10 minutes focused practice is better than 1 hour focused practice. According to my teachers you should practice every day even if it is just warming, up or a few scales, and this should last at a minimum between 20 mins and 30 mins

Each to their own !!

I heard Paul Harris say that if you spent a whole 'lesson' or practice on getting even a handful of notes right, and you achieved that, it was time well spent.

I think the amount of time is not as valid as the quality of practice in that time.

are you sure?

I know I thought that too!!

Well yeh !!!

You have a problem in a piece of music so go onto practice, but you go into the practice section not focused and spend a full hour "Practicing" and you go to you next practice section and encouter the same problem again. Wasted Hour ?! Yes or No?

You have a problem in a piece so go onto practice, you are really focused and within 10 minutes you have solved the problem. Next time you go to practice this problem does not arise again !



That's my take on things !

Most of my practice is in blasts of three to five minutes.

Sometimes I use a timer which I counts the cumulative amount of time I've spent - I start it and stop it but don't reset it until the next day. I seem to easily spend an hour to an hour an a half a day just by playing in small amounts - I practice while the kettle boils, while the computer switches on, while I'm waiting for the click that means I can open the washing machine door, while the bath fills, waiting for toast, during the ads....

Sounds just like me! It works! I've never used a timer, but I'd say it would probably add up to quite a bit. I've even learnt how to do constructive practice whilst asking children's spellings. A friend of mine swears by practising with the radio on, as it really forces you to focus hard. I would rarely sit for more than half an hour at a time - so I agree with Ben in a way, in that I don't think my concentration is worthy of longer stints - but I do think that anything is better than nothing!

I'm a freshman in college and here piano majors are suppossed to practice at least 20 hours a week. I am finding this very difficult to do...I can't focus for more than an hour or so at a time which means I have to break my practice sessions up throughout the day. It is very inconvenient, especially since the practice rooms are quite a long walk from my dorm. Just out of curiousity, what is considered the normal reccommended practice time for college students?

Absolutely SaxFan.

I'd also add that practising regularly is far better than doing a huge amount of practice once a week.

So playing as much as possible in half term isn't reccomended?

Well, I can't do long practice stints on the fiddle, or I'll do myself damage again. I can't do long singing practice stints or I'll do myself damage. I'm not sure whether I'd damage myself doing long stints on the recorder and I'm unkeen to re-inflict RSI on myself by overdoing the piano.

So what I do is this - I spend a couple of hours (possibly more, possibly less) in my music room each morning. I have all my instruments and music out, and I do short bursts on each and then move on.

So I might do five minutes' work on some Sevcik exercises for the violin, and then go to the piano and play something that will relax my hands (Sevcik makes me ache as I'm not used to them yet ). Then I might have a tootle on a recorder for a bit, then back to the violin, then sing something.......

So in total I probably do a reasonable work out on all the instruments, and by varying the activities I don't run as much risk of hurting my muscles as I might if I did a long burst on one or the other.

Now that's commitment! I move between the piano, the computer and the washing machine!

As long as you are enjoying yourself and not inflicting damage by overdoing it, I don't see the problem, BUT, it is not a substitute for regular practice the rest of the time (IMO)

One reason why I hate coursework...

Would you mind telling me how?

I would love to do something constructive while my children do their homework but I somehow can't imagine them allowing me to play the piano at the same time.
(Not really relevant but the French primary schools give them written homework (sometimes as much as an hour a day) from the first year they start school. As they can't actually read what they are supposed to do, the parent has to do the homework with them. After a year of having the parent beside them, it is very hard to get them used to the idea that they could actually do the homework by themselves).

As long as you get the technical stuff done, I'm not so sure whether playing pieces every day is at all necessary. I find that I can progress on 2 hours a day, no problem, especially if those hours are at a certain time of day. Above 3 hours, progress tails off significantly. I think a really good amount for me is 2-3 hours private practice, and up to 3 hours ensemble work on top of that. But really, this depends so much on where you are on your instrument and where you want to be - it would be stupid for a beginner to try and do that much, and equally there are people who need more practice time.

Welcome back to the forum Bohemian.

Do you do that 2 hour practice in one go, or do you break it up into smaller bits? I tend to break up my practice into 75-ish minute chunks maximum, I tend to need a break after that length of time, before returning to the instrument(s).

That sounds horrendous, and you've got my sympathy! Parents need a life as well. Even to some extent here (I'm in N. Ireland) I feel that, as an exercise in self-discipline, too much homework is counter-productive when they're so young. It just teaches them that it's somebody else's problem. My first two children would not have let me engage in something else at the same time, but numbers 3 and 4 have got to know that it needs to be done, with or without mummy's full attention - because mummy's full attention just isn't always there!

ANYWAY, I pop in and out from the piano room while he's at the kitchen table. If the written work gets finished when I'm not there, he'll (he being 7) bring me in his spellings and tables and plonk the book on the music stand in front of me. I suppose it's a bit like accompanying, with your eye bobbing from one thing to the other, and with your brain split in half! It certainly lets you know whether an alberti bass is automatic yet or not, if you can do it whilst spelling a word! I think it aggravates him a bit (understandably, I suppose... ) if I don't stop playing, but this means he'll concentrate harder to get the word right first time in order to be allowed to sod off!

Sorry - this was a bit off-topic - just describing my "quality practice" routine!

Not to mention my quality parenting....

If you are a piano major and going for a degree in performance, four hours a day would be a reasonable amount, possibly more before a recital. I don't see how you could get away with less than four hours a day if you have to work toward a 50- to 60-minute recital programme and prepare for classes such as accompanying and chamber music.

When I was in Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) Gifted Young Pianists Programme,
my principal Madam Fang Yuan told me that all of us (we're all around 5-12) must practice for at least an hour a day, without stopping or grabbing a bite.
She said that its the most fundamental of a disciplined pianist and practicing is all about discipline and focus.
However, as competitions, performances and masterclasses drew near, all of us must stay back at NAFA campus and practice for a whole afternoon, using the grand piano at each piano studio.
From young, my teachers and parents drilled in this concept that I must practice an hour a day.
Therefore, I was quite surprised when some members of this forums said that practicing less is better.
Perhaps different Arts Schools have different strategies.

If I do all my scales and practice pieces (unfocust) it takes 25~35 minutes on piano,20~30 mins on violin.
I usualy practice play the oboe for about 5~15 mins

How's Oboe going Liz? Missing the regular updates!

Thanks Barry

No, I tend to find that my first session of the day lasts 90 minutes, even though I don't have a clock in the room while I practice. Any practice after that will be in sessions up about an hour, but not as long as the first session. Usually I do 2 sessions a day, and up to 3 sessions of ensemble work on top of that - suprisingly, I find it easy to sit through 3 hours of ensemble rehearsal, even if it's intensive 4tet work, but can't bear the thought of that much solo practice!

I attempt to do about an hour a day on the cello, when I was playing seriously the same on the piano and fit in singing whenever I have the time. I find (even when doing more) that there simply aren't enough hours in the day to divide up my practice. I guess it's not a good policy, but that's how it's always worked for me.

Yeah. It's going well. I can play a most of the pieces from my 'abracadabra' book if they don't have high notes(high g,a,b,c) I can just about play the high f and f#.

I think more people should take up the computer and the washing machine!!
It is high time the washing machine was seen as a serious instrument .....



I'd agree with that Sarah.
There should be a 'core' of disciplined practice, and then you can go ahead and do as much as you like if you want to and if you are enjoying it (and the neighbours are enjoying it too )
Best not to overdo it - tired practice doesn't benefit you as much as alert practice ... you have to judge this for yourself

The important question to ask is how more than how long ...

Absolutely! Beginner tuition offered (and I charge a reasonable fee) to anyone who wants to come round and do my laundry learn how to play one.

Bring your own floor mop?

I thought yours could only play Noye's Fludde, or the Water Music on a good day.

Nice one Andante (should be .. _in_C# )

Yes, but that's a remarkable repertoire for a beginner.

Yes it depends on-
-Grade
-Person's free time
-How much they need to cover
-How much they think needs to be done.

For me I do about 20mins when I practise which can be 7 days or 3 days a week depending on what's happening.

I try and practise up to one and a half hours a day. But when I can't because of coursework... I just do as much as I can... (even spending 20 mins a day is better than nothing)...

Is detergant included in the price? Or will you go shopping for it for us??

That's interesting. Even in ensemble work, I always find that a 20 minute break in a 2 hour ensemble session does me the power of good.

Ensemble rehearsals I can do for hours, and they make up the majority of my term time practice.

You'll find that the higher your standard the more time you have to dedicate to the music...

Both the wind band and the light orchestra I play with have a good system - at least I think so.
We have rehearsals which last just an hour and a half - almost precisely!

We start at the allotted time, play for 45 minutes near enough, have a break for 2 to 3 minutes, enough to to hear any notices from anyone, stretch your legs if you have to! then we get straight back into playing for just about 40 ish minutes.
And we stop on time. I feel it works well - there's not a long middle space where you get out of the wish to re-start or anything. It's always the same so you know where you are... Good.

I find having a short break every while useful... Helps you to continue.

being a student, athlete, and multi-instrumental musician i don't have much time to practice... i try to devote at least 20 minutes on weekdays to piano. just whenever i need a break from studying. on weekends i play around 1 or 2 hours a day total. trombone practice, however, is a different story... maybe 20 minutes on a sunday, if i'm good

For my Grade 6 exam on Monday, I'm now spending about 30 minutes playing my pieces, 15 minutes on scales, 30 minutes on sight reading then 30 minutes on sight singing. I'm spending less and less time on practising my pieces as the exam approaches - I think I've burnt out.

The depressing thing is my guitar teacher really doesn't think I put any practise into my sight singing. I'm utterly rubbish at it and do try but he just looks at me in disbelief when I tell him how much I've practised the singing. It's almost funny.

I agree with you but sometimes its necessary to spend a little bit more time before a special occasion... ie. a concert.