selfdiscipline

[TaurusT]

When it comes to practice/training routines, having a steady routine of lets say 3-5 hours per day is almost manditory. Atleast some regular amount of time and a way of programming yourself to do it.

 

However, sometimes, we have good days and bad days, sometimes we have days were we have real trouble focussing mentally, or are very lazy and inaccurate with our dexterity physically.

 

The thing is, when I have one of those days, maybe I practice for 2 hours, and I'm already really tired, I look back at what I've accomplished within those 2 hours, and rather little if you compare how the productivity is during the "good days" (even though I've really been actively giving a 100% during this practicesession). Sometimes I can't continue that extra hour or two... It then feels I'm just not having the right day and practicing actually feels like its causing damage (if you practice the bad way, you get good at doing it "the bad way").

Only perfect practice makes perfect.

 

I think my selfdiscipline is too high that I cannot allow myself to play for the usual 3-4 hours and then -STOP-, regardless of how the productivity/result actually has been in those 3-4 hours.

I have this feeling that I have to continue to 5-6 hours atleast to make sure to get that same productivity/result that I get after a session on my GOOD days.

 

The problem is that I have these kind of bad days or rather "less good days", about 50% of the time and it feels that I have to compensate the whole time, doing many many hours extra, just to keep up that horizontal curve of equal productivity per day.

 

Realistically though, this is never possible..

 

Can you relate to this? What is your experience with it?

 

 

[Synthoid]

When it comes to practice/training routines, having a steady routine of lets say 3-5 hours per day is almost manditory.

 

I don't have that much time or self-discipline! Maybe 2 hours tops.

 

Can you relate to this? What is your experience with it?

 

The problem with me is, I get to the point of saying, "Play that same song...... again"? How do you get past the repetitive/boredom factor? I started doing solo keyboard gigs this year--just instrumental music (mostly original) with no singing. Feedback has been much better than I expected, which boosts motivation to practice, but there are some difficult external factors to deal with, including a couple of bi-polar family members. If you've never experienced that, you have no idea how taxing it is.

 

So yes........there are several "less good days." However, my music gets better all the time and my gig last night went well. Very few mistakes.

[SK]

Pardon a very small 2 cents here, but in case it relates:

 

I'd say once a player has the basics down, never practice beyond the point of musicality. Too much practice and you can actually practice away the feeling and freshness in your playing. But if you can still feel the music after 5 or 6 hours, then hey, keep going. How long you maintain interest is a personal thing - sometimes 20 minutes can be more productive than 2 hours.

 

I never really had to force myself to practice, because I only did it as much as I enjoyed it (which was a lot.)

 

About playing the same songs over and over - I once worked with a great singer for a couple years who unfortunately had the same repertoire all the time. She never upgraded her tunes, so I was faced several days every week with doing the same standards, many of which I was ALREADY tired of before I took the gig.

 

To make it interesting for myself, I made it into a challenge: to make my approach totally fresh to the same material every night. Fortunately, she was a good sport to roll with it, so every time we played a tune, it sounded different. A different groove, different chords, tempos, or a new arrangement - always some new surprise.

 

So what could have been an excuse to just give in and go on automatic became a chance to push things further. From that experience, I realized the material doesn't limit us musically as much as we do... and we can usually find a way to make a song new again - if you want to and you try hard enough.

 

Of course, there's still a personal limit on some tunes after a while. If the feeling finally goes, it's time to move on to something else.

[e-keys]

TaurusT,

I would be interested in more detail about how you break down your practice routine. (scales, other drills, new/old repertoire, etc) Also what are your goals. Where do you want to be with your piano skills in 5 years.