Hi guys,

I'm wondering both how much practice people actually do, and how much teachers would recommend at any particular level.

Myself, I try and make sure I do at least 30 minutes a day, usually I do more, often I manage two, sometimes I manage 3 (but not often!) I probably average out at 1 1/2 a day, generally split into at least 2 different sessions, and with a large chunk of that being concentrated scale practice.

Kind of hard to say what level I am at - got a distinction in my grade 4, currently playing mostly grade 5 plus to low 7 ish pieces and scales, can reasonably sight read a lot of grade 4-5 stuff - I haven't had that many lessons on the flute. My problem I find is stamina, and also on not so great days it's keeping the breath control good. (I have ME/Chronic Fatigue, which doesn't help!!)

Anyway I was just curious as to how much people actually do, and how much most teachers would recommend; do you have a system of eg 15 per grade (G1 should try 15 mins, grade 5 an hour and a quarter etc), or what?

There is a question similar to this on another site I post on. I think somebody said that you were "supposed" to practice 15 mins x Grade level. E.g as I am working towards my Grade 8, I am supposedly got to find the time to practice 2 hours every day. No that does not happen.

I try and do 1/2 an hour every day, but it does get hard with all these exams looming. I do most at the weekend, and do 1/2 hour sessions.

Anyway, I think it is what is comfortable for you, and as long as you practice effectively then it is ok. Better to do 30 minutes of concentrated practice than 2 hours of uneffective practice. Sometimes I can't play for more than 1/2 as I get pains in my wrists.

Hope this helps

I think I probably try to practise in a similar way to you Sarah-flute - a lot of scale practice, pieces aren't getting as much time but then I'm taking the attitude that if the scales are good that will help the pieces (?!). Often find that the only space in the day is late in the evening when the children are finally in bed - i don't play well when i'm tired (who does?). I suppose i do try to get in a couple of hours a day but it is a real struggle.

QUOTE (Andy-piano-flute @ Apr 30 2005, 10:53 AM)

I think I probably try to practise in a similar way to you Sarah-flute - a lot of scale practice, pieces aren't getting as much time but then I'm taking the attitude that if the scales are good that will help the pieces (?!).

Yes, it's supposed to isn't it??! I also generally find the scales harder - too many years of being self-taught, therefore not bothering with them, so I was way behind and only now beginning to catch up with myself! Scales I find help me know my way around the instrument more, which can only be a bonus, also help with playing in different keys, breath control, and technical fluency. I guess it's also easier to know when you have really mastered a scale, whereas with a piece it's not so obvious - especially without a teacher (less than two weeks before I get my lesson....)

I can't say that I have a fixed schedule or anything, it generally depends on what mood I'm in! I try to practise for at least half an hour a day, but at the moment (right after my exam) I lack motivation to pick up the flute at all! Then on other days (normally the weekend) I might do two hours or more!

It also really depends on what the flute sounds like! If I have a really good tone and everything I play sounds gorgeous , I tend to practise for ages, but on other days, when my tone is rubbish, I only do the bare minimum!

I have posted a reply to a similar topic before regarding practice. We all need to remember that any practice session needs to be worthwhile. If you agree to practice 30 mins a day and then spend the first 25 mins looking at the clock wondering when the 30 mins is up then it has been a waste of time. It is better to practice not so much or so often but make sure that each practice session has been worthwhile. If you do that, you shouldn't feel guilty when you don't have time to practice.
David

*nods* yes, I'm assuming we're talking about useful practice sessions here! if my practice is just not doing anything or going anywhere, I put the flute down and do something else, then go back to it later. I like to make sure I do at least 30 minutes *useful*.... I get annoyed with myself if I waste practice time and energy going nowhere fast, so I rarely do it.

I've found that having a decent mic and tape recorder is very useful - gives me a more objective view of how I sound and what is good/bad. Also gives me an idea of how long I have been going... I recorded almost an hour and 3/4 of practice the other day... yes, I need to get a life...

QUOTE (sarah-flute @ Apr 30 2005, 10:15 PM)

I recorded almost an hour and 3/4 of practice the other day... yes, I need to get a life...

Sarah, I think it is wonderful that you can play for so long in one go.

It wasn't all in one go! Though I did do at least one pretty big chunk - think it was about 50 minutes or an hour...? but thanks... I did (once!) do 3 hours practice in one day. I felt very virtuous but boy was I tired that evening... that included one two hour chunk... it's a bit much, I don't recommend it!

Yes, I am often inspired after band, so I'll do that for 2 hours, come home and keep coming back to play! So I could do up to 3 or 4 hours on a Saturday, of course not all at once. But now revision is a bigger priority.

I dont really have a limit. I decide what I need to work on and try and improve it. Then I usually go over some scales, arpeggios etc. It usually is between 15-30 mins per instrument for me.

QUOTE

There is a question similar to this on another site I post on. I think somebody said that you were "supposed" to practice 15 mins x Grade level. E.g as I am working towards my Grade 8, I am supposedly got to find the time to practice 2 hours every day.

It was me who posted that, can't remember where on the forum though. All this is meant as a guidline, not a fixed rule, but when you consider the level of the pieces and the amount of technical work to get through, not to mention the standard the examiner will be expecting from the candidate, then 2 hours a day is not actually that much. Finding two hours EVERY DAY however, can be difficult, I know, because I've been there, but it's not altogether impossible.

Better time management is usually the key. We all manage to find time to write on this forum and probably surf the internet, so could we cut down on time spent on the computer and spend it doing some practice, even if that only meant an additional 20 minutes a day? It would soon add up to quite a lot in extra practice time.

TV can use up quite a chunk of an evening too. That half hour programme you intended to watch turned into an 'hour and a half' on the sofa flicking through the channels and browsing what else was on.

Come on, admit it we've all done this far more than once a week

Ultimately it boils down to commitment and dedication. How much do you REALLY WANT to play, and do you want to do reasonably well in the exam? - especially on the exam day once the adrenaline kicks in and you need to control the breathing

I know of a 15 year old violin student (not one of mine) who manages to fit in four hours of practice a day. He gets up at 5 am, practices from 6 till 8, goes to school, comes home, does his homework, eats some tea and then put in another two hours of violin practice. He's already post-G8 standard and intends on applying for music college. Therefore, I also guess the amount of practice you actually do depends on whether you intend to study music seriously, at uni for example. If you only want music to be a hobby, then treat it as that, don't flog youself with endless hours of practice.

Whatever your intentions, the only real way to improve your playing is with regular AND conscientious practice. Don't be satisfied with "Yeah, that sort of sounds ok, that'll do for now". Always aim to play consistently. If you don't, and it's one of those really bad days, put the instrument away and do something else. Go back to it later if you get the chance. There's nothing to be gained from bad practice except a sloppy attitude alongside sloppy playing.

WHEN I was really free (last time), I used to practise everyday as soon as I returned home from school.

Now it's like...urgh I try to squeze in at least 30 mins for 2 days. very bad. and yes! I should feel ashamed of it!

QUOTE

It was me who posted that, can't remember where on the forum though. All this is meant as a guidline, not a fixed rule, but when you consider the level of the pieces and the amount of technical work to get through, not to mention the standard the examiner will be expecting from the candidate, then 2 hours a day is not actually that much. Finding two hours EVERY DAY however, can be difficult, I know, because I've been there, but it's not altogether impossible.

The problem is, if I got up any earlier I would wake everybody up practicing, and would make me feel even more tired by the end of the day. I would go to school, come back. Ok, I do have an hour between the time I come home and the time I start working but that is for me to relax. I then revise, and by the time I have done that I am shattered, which means that my flute doesn't sound as good, and I don't concentrate. I can't stop revising, my exams are soon, and I need that hour break, otherwise, I would just be exhausted by 6 o'clock. Also, I am not going to be good enough to get into music college, so I need to focus on my exams. I know I probably should stop the time I come online, but when it feels I am working constantly it is hard.

QUOTE

I know I probably should stop the time I come online, but when it feels I am working constantly, it is hard.

The pressures of modern life and preparing for the adult world Sadly it doesn't get any easier even once you've left education and got a job.....then all the financial worries start as well

There is absolutely nothing wrong in focussing on your wider education, you have to get priorities like that right and I believe we all instinctively know where our futures lie, even if we chop and change our minds a few times on the way. Hopefully music should become something of a relaxation time for you, rather than a chore that has to be done. If you concentrate on the fact that you are playing for your own enjoyment, rather than anything else, you'll find the music will help you to relax.

QUOTE (AmandaL @ May 4 2005, 11:19 AM)

The pressures of modern life and preparing for the adult world

Yes.... the pressure is greater and applied earlier in a child's life every year - friend of mine teachers 8-9 year olds and even they are already under pressure. I do not envy those of you who are currently in the throes of GCSEs and A Levels now one little bit.

QUOTE (AmandaL @ May 4 2005, 11:19 AM)

QUOTE I know I probably should stop the time I come online, but when it feels I am working constantly, it is hard. The pressures of modern life and preparing for the adult world Sadly it doesn't get any easier even once you've left education and got a job.....then all the financial worries start as well There is absolutely nothing wrong in focussing on your wider education, you have to get priorities like that right and I believe we all instinctively know where our futures lie, even if we chop and change our minds a few times on the way. Hopefully music should become something of a relaxation time for you, rather than a chore that has to be done. If you concentrate on the fact that you are playing for your own enjoyment, rather than anything else, you'll find the music will help you to relax.

I would love to be able to practice for 2 hours a day, but I would end up damaging my hands (I seem to get pain in them quite frequently when practicing, they also go numb!), and I wouldn't be able to keep it up. Over Christmas, I played at least for an hour each day, and did a lot of coursework, I even worked on Christmas Day. But, by the end of the holiday I was so exhausted and stressed, I ended up breaking down on my first day back, and listerally crying for 2 hours. This was partly because I did so much, and I don't want this to be the case for my GCSEs.

Oh, but playing does make me relax. That is partly the problem. If I do flute practice instead of revision, I'll end up doing a lot of practice and not much revision, especially on Saturdays after band when I seem to play at my best!

My flute teacher told me today, that she still tries to practice 3-4 hours a day, as she has a recital, which I find amazing, considering she leaves the house at 6.30 and often does not come back home until at least 6.30pm. I really don't know how she can balance teaching, flute practice and everything else, I know, I for one couldn't cope.

I try and practice everyday, but sadly, it doesnt happen. I get up at 6.30 for college, sometimes 5.45 if I have too much work and need to get some done. And I certainly aint getting up any earlier than that for practice. Plus my family would kill me.

Yes, I admit I do come on the forums most days, but for me, time online=relaxation (although I am usually doing something else at the same time, at this current moment, a practice french paper).

QUOTE

TV can use up quite a chunk of an evening too. That half hour programme you intended to watch turned into an 'hour and a half' on the sofa flicking through the channels and browsing what else was on.

Nope, I last watched tv monday night, and before that was last wednesday.

QUOTE

There is absolutely nothing wrong in focussing on your wider education, you have to get priorities like that right and I believe we all instinctively know where our futures lie,

Absolutely.

Im not planning on having a music career anytime soon (or at all!) so quite frankly, piano practice can wait for a few days until some of this revision is actually sinking in.

But as for flute practice with my exam looming, I practice, scales tongued, then slurred, then with mixed articulation, then arpeggios tongued, slurred and with mixed articulation. Then I play through my pieces with a metronome to see where my timing is going astray, then pick out any bit that need doing. Then I get out any flute choir music giving me grief, then I chill for a bit, usually with my disney flute book .

Right, I'm off... back to a french reading paper

QUOTE

QUOTE TV can use up quite a chunk of an evening too. That half hour programme you intended to watch turned into an 'hour and a half' on the sofa flicking through the channels and browsing what else was on. Nope, I last watched tv monday night, and before that was last wednesday.

I watch very little TV as well, but I know how easy it can be to just not bother getting off the sofa after watching something

I don't have a TV - or rather, I do, but tuned out so I can't watch terrestrial tv on it. I watch videos and dvds, and my mum sometimes records things for me, and sometimes I watch the tv at friends' houses but nothing besides that. It's amazing how much time it frees up, though I still find there's never enough time for everything I want to do - I wonder where I ever found time to watch tv at all!

I don't watch that much TV, the internet is my weakness!

At least it is possible to play and surf! Although I think that concentrated practice is usually more beneficial, if it's "play a few scales while I surf the net" or "do no practice" then the former is preferable.

i have no time for TV whatsoever. Im struggling to find time to practice. Sleeping is just not an option at the moment.

i know. i just want to sleeeeeeeep, and everything to be over

I do know the feeling hon...

Me too. In Biology we have 4 lessons or something to learn a lot of the syllabus. I just get a sinking feeling everytime I think about exams, I am even dreaming about them. All I seem to feel is like I am working constantly, i.e get up, go to school, come back, revise, go to bed.

I know the feeling! I am just being swamped with projects and homework, plus exams...
I really enjoy discussing non-school related stuff with all of you; it's the highlight of my day sometimes!

I also now love band, it goes so quickly, I only have a few practices left and then I'll have to reaudition and I won't be in the same bands/orchestras (if I get in) as my friends.