High school piano rectial and other

[elevateme]

this might be miles away from the first post (sory) but if ure good enough techically to play brahms ballade, liszt liebstraum & sospiro, ure wasting ure time playing the monnlight sonata because u could do appassionata or something more exciting

oh and dont do a chopin nocturne do a ballade or a scherzo

[gruffalo]

the whole point of a recital is not to overload the audience with the most technically challenging stuff.

[super5james]

Yeah i see what u mean the way i see it is there are 3 levels of the sonatas the Moonlight, Patheique, Appassionata so once iget done with Patquie ill do the next.

[donjuan]

Yeah i see what u mean the way i see it is there are 3 levels of the sonatas the Moonlight, Patheique, Appassionata so once iget done with Patquie ill do the next.

4 or more levels: many easier ones than the moonlight..

[super5james]

WELL HOWS THINGS AGOIN PIANISTS Im going to go the rocky rigde summer program in June so i cant wait for that. I have fallen in Love with Bach keyboard concetro no. 1 D minor the 1st mvt. So im gonna work on it. What are some good consevarotrys out there aslo dont forget to check out my myspace sight

myspace.com/pianomanjames.com

I hate high school i feell like its a waste of time i feel like i can be at home practing then at school. WHO esle feels the same.

[super5james]

I hate high school i feel like its waste of time for Concert pianist who esle feels this way

[henrah]

Meh, school isn't so bad for me. I wish it were a more musical school though.... It has one grand piano: a Bechstein with a loose lid, no music rest support and no damper on F2 (second F up from the bottom). All the other pianos are uprights, and are hilariously crud. One of them doesn't even return the hammers on the bass notes, they just stay against the strings and don't allow any reverberation

When is your recital, or has it already past? If it has, I hope it went well
Henrah

[super5james]

I just think i can be doing something better than learnig about things that doesnt even help me with piano when i can be home pracrticing becomeing better. My rectial was awsesome i had 313 people show up and i raised at leas 3,200 dollars. My manger/mentor thinks soon once ive learned enough music i should start doing recital for myself. Im gonna do it starting next year people all over florida will hear about pianoman james matthews Im gonna finsh my concerts up at Unveirsty of Central Florida in April then start my 10 year transedental period just like Liszt dont worry though i have Plenty of freinds to talk to at school and at the chrurches im envoled with.




ANYWAY NOW TO PIANO

ive feel in love with Bach's Keyboard Concerto in D minor 1stmvt (gloud) its amazing after i finsh learing the last candzea in Libestraume ill bhead to that

[elevateme]

what??!?! OBVIOUSLY you don't practice 12 hours in ONE DAY that is such a lie. honestly, if u practiced 12 hours a day ud get roughly 2 hours free, thats so so so not true. seriously

[super5james]

Again on school days i practice for 6 hours a day and when im not in school 12 hours a day like im gonna do tommorow.I REALLY DO! ASK OTHER PEOPLE AND YOULL KNOW

[franzliszt2]

12 hours. Seriosuly, thatrs dangerous, its asking for RSI, or serious mental illness, how can it even e possible, I mean, time to eat, rest. That means you must get up at 9 in the mornin, and practice straight till 9 at night, or 10 till 10, etc. Why do you need that time to practice, practice does NOT make perfect, but perfect practice does, and 12 hours a day, is not perfect practice. I don;t practice anywhere near that amount of time, and I get through repertoire fast enough. I like to spend time outside piano doing other things. Even top concert pianists don;t practice that long, its foolish, you can't possibly learn anything after 6 hrs, the memory will lapse just fail. Liszt practiced excersises and scales for hours a day, and taking into account he was composing, which takes HOURS, thats why he spent so long practicing.

Yeah i see what u mean the way i see it is there are 3 levels of the sonatas the Moonlight, Patheique, Appassionata so once iget done with Patquie ill do the next

Are you done with pathetique? on 12 hours a day, that should be finished in one day for you, but are you honestly thinking that by spending 12 hours a day on a piece, that it will be better than someone learning it on 2 hours a day, and taking 6 days?

[elevateme]

doesnt matter, he doesnt do 12 hours anyway

[cherrysoda]

Are you done with pathetique? on 12 hours a day, that should be finished in one day for you

^Guy's got a point there....I mean if u fancy yourself at concert level/potential anyway.......

[super5james]

WHAT EVER LIKE I SAID ONLY WHEN IM NOT IN SCHOOL I PRACITCE FOR 12 Hours AND ON SCHOOLL DAYS I PRACTICE FOR 6 if u dont belive me then dont and my memory is good i just practice till i think my pieces are perfect Im well under contorol of my self  AND no i havent worked on the pathieque yet cuz im mastering Un sospiro and Bachs keyboard concerto in D minor because next year i PLAN on entering the van cliburn summer instuite 2007. And Concert pianists like Chirstoper O'Rilley practiced like me when he was my age I KNOW BECAUSE I HAVE MET HIM Guys

[donjuan]

SEE HOW SMART AND COMPELLING IT LOOKS TO POST IN CAPITALS?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

[steveie986]

James, I know you're probably a very mature pianist IRL but on the forum you sound like either an immature 10-year-old or someone's parody of a loser-pianist. No offence intended.

[lisztisforkids]

Can you please describe what you practice in a 12 hour day? Your schedule please?

[super5james]

Well im sorry guys its that i get mad when people tell think of me in that way. I should be humble about this but its hard. Well what i practice on my 12 hour days like  today is.

I have six songs to do for a wedding for next week
Liszt- Un sosprio
Bach- Keyboard Concerto in Dm 1st mvt.
Today ill pracitce Liszt- liebiestrautme
Thats about it these pieces are hard and i need to make sure there perfrect i divde my music into sections an ill work on them till i think i can move on like in the liebiestruame ill practice the B Major then the C major, cadenzas ect.

To be honest i do miss doing other things i work so hard and ill forget the real reason why im doing this but on my good practice days i have fun. But your right i do spend a LOT of time at the piano and not enough to things that go on around me

[franzliszt2]

I practice on average 3-4 hours everyday, sometimes less when I go to school. I do not suddenly doube time on weekends as that leads to injury, it is not healthy to double your practice time twice a week.

I have been woring on
Rachmaninoff rhapsody on a theme of paganini
Chopin ballade 4
Debbussy reflets dans leau
AND chamber music concerts, etc

I never have practiced 12 hours, and no great pianist i have hear of ever did, richter did now and again, but he did memorise prokofievs 7th sonata in 4 days, soits safe to say he practiced very effectivly

12 hours is unreal, I'm off to a conservatoire in september, and they say 6 hours is the most I'll need. 12 hours is not healthy!! Learn some chopin etudes, get a technique so that you can use it to learn things, for example, do Chopin's 3rds etude, you'll never have to spend hours on thirds passages again

[gruffalo]

i genuinely think you are telling the truth, because you seem to know yourself and not care much for others' opinions. however, it is true that too much practice can damage your fingers. i was watching a programme in class called "how to become a concert pianist", and a teacher from Julliard was saying how it's no good to practice mroe than 6 hours a day, because your fingers just start to deteriate (spelling). im not telling you what or what not to do, but just consider some peoples' advice (you dont have to act on it) but atleast research it.

Hope this helps.

[limegreen]

"If you have to practice more than 4 hours/day it means one of two things: either you are not that talented or you have nothing else to do".....Evgeny Kissin.

[super5james]

You guys were right yesterday i stop at 7 hours and today i felt a whole alot better with my playing i didnt even have to warm up I admit  i feel a whole lot better (mentally) today than yesterday. Franzliszt2 where are you going to study. Let me say this BACH is Evil i think he wrote stuff hard because he was bored

[franzliszt2]

I'm going to Royal College of music in London

Remember to warm up, even if you feel warmed up, thats when inuries creep in

Glad you feel better after 7 hours 

[super5james]

AWESOME i might pit an inqury there yeah today im better i plan doing nothing but work on my website myspace.com/pianomanjames and practice


HAS anybody work on Bachs Keyboard Concerto in Dminor the 1st mvt. any tips

[elevateme]

7 hours is better, but its still, erm, what are the words...   ...oh yeah! NOT TRUE

[franzliszt2]

7 hours is still a lot, I very much doubt that you do that much, I cannot see how it can be done every day inside out, unless you were working on some major pieces in a short space oif time. 3 hours is a nice amount of time, thats not including warm up, or messing around. Do you do chamber music?  I think if you need anymore than 5 hours a day on a small amount of pieces, and are taking more than 4 days to get through them, you have a problem.

You ever timed yourself?? like properly, stopping the clock for toilet breaks etc, what about little moments when you think mmmmm food, or think of summit that happened a few weeks agoa dn spen a minute of so thinking, and not playing, or just twiddling your thumbs??? they do add up, I get lots of work done in 45 mins if I sit and practice properly.


Practice does not make perfect
Perfect practice does make prefect

[super5james]

With me i have to spend a lot of time on pieices because im not agoo sight reader i have to take time to learn it took me 3 weeks to learn Libestraume because i had to stop to do other things for OTHER PEOPLE but i take the time to learn it right i play a piecie till my heart says it done not till my teacher says so

Thats what i think its wrong with alot of pianists today Pianist are so worried about getting things right and makeing them perfect instead of using their emotions its all about PERFERCT instead of love the way it sounds sure i myself learns a piecie TECHANILY first but then ill have to play it according to the way i feel thats why i spend alot of time playing things im NEVER SATISFEID with the way im doing it so therefore spend 10-12 hours somedays is what it takes to get to that point then so be it. Yes some days i cant possibly do 7 hours during school days because i aslo have to have time to do my other job which is youth minister and cousouel to other people at my chruch and others. Some times i do get 7 hours it happens when i turn off my cell phone and go to my studio at 1st bapist church lock my self in the room and GET crackin.

[gruffalo]

i was just wondering, is it a 12 hour practice day? or is it 12 hours without including break time, lunch time, poo time? etc.

Gruff

[ilikefinnissy]

Of course you have to take breaks.  12 hours is tough, but very normal for professional pianists.   Richter, contrary to what he says in "The Enigma" documentary, would usually practice 14-16 hours a day (read the companion book to the film and you'll see).  No one can attain such a huge repertoire without that kind of time.

Hamelin calls himself lazy...  I'm sure he just feels that way every time he's away from the keyboard (which I assume is not really that often, considering the amount of music he plays)

The fact is that to play well you have to put in the time. 

I remember reading that Godowsky used to practice up to 20 hours a day (Schonberg wrote this though I can't remember where). 

If you need to get something done, it's amazing what the human body can withstand.


Though if you were a professional pianist I suppose you would only need 4 - 6 hours if you were perfecting the same hackneyed repertoire (ie Greig/schumann concerto, chopin Bb sonata, anything by schumann, beethoven, brahms etc) which sadly most professional pianists do.

[steveie986]

James, if you practice for 12 hours a day, how do you have time to spend with the Lord? He gets lonely, you know. What about studying the Word or fellowshipping with your Brothers? If your hand   causes you to sin, no matter how good a pianist you are, you had better cut it off before it causes you to go to perdition. 

[franzliszt2]

If we start quating from Richter the Enigma read the introduction. "I have never practiced 10 hours in my life"  Also the only thing that contradicts that is when he requested a flat and said he needed the facility to practice up to 12 hours a day, does NOT say he did. And what about the famous "Richter 3 hours a day".

He practiced 10 when he was at the conservatoire just before his debut recital. Richter practiced to achieve a certain amount of hours a year, and it works out 3 hours a day. Take into acount he was touring, so he had to make up the time, and he sometimes practiced more. He DID NOT pracyice 12-14 hours. Richter achieved such repertoire because when he came out of Russia he was far from a young concert pianist, he was already matured and had learnt lots in his years at the conservatoire. And he was a genious, had an amazing technique, and an amazing memory.

And how the hell can anyone practice 20 hours a day? that is a total lie. Do you  believe anything people tells you? That is impossible, it cannot be done!!!! work it out, 20 hours, 4 hours sleep. Less than 4 hours in fact,m toilet breaks food, mental breaks, and what about the fingers!!!! with the greatest technique ever it would not feel good

And what is wrong with concert pianists playin the same old hackneyed repertoire??
It's by far the greatest. Most pianists learnt mose things in their youth.

If you have a strong technique, which all concert pianists do, you will fly trhrough the repertoire.  12 hours a day is not healthy, and there is problems if that is how long you need everyday.

[panic]

There's also the problem, which I have encountered, of overpracticing to the extent that if you screw up in a performance it's harder to just proceed onward.

Also, does anyone else think that practicing 15 hours a day yet simultaneously trying to play with emotion is kind of like watching a sentimental movie 500 times? (kind of loses its hold on you if you do it too much)

[gruffalo]

finissey, try reading what i said again, properly. too many skim-readers these days.

[ilikefinnissy]

  Well i had a nice long response, and then accidentally closed the window 

Basically I said, yes you have to take breaks, even 30 min or 1 hour breaks, but essentially you are at the keyboard all day.

Normal professions usually run 7 hours a day 9-5pm, though there are some like film music and computer programming that are notorious for their long, long hours (when one is working for a deadline).  A friend of mine/the family who has been very successful in film music for several years now, is known to lock himself up in his "composing room" in his office, and work from 10 am - 3/4/6 am in the morning, trying to get ready for a dealine.  It's bad on his health and anyone who spends that much time on one thing, but still, people do it and get things done.

In Bruno Monsaingeon's companion book, when Richter mentiones the "3 hours" a day, he has a footnote saying something to the effect that "there is so much evidence to the contrary" and that in Richter's old age "he just came to believe this."  My buddy Daniel who studies with Alexander Slobodyanik (who personally knew Richter, and also had studied with Neuhaus) shot me down when I mentioned this "3 hours a day", saying that its basically a joke.  His teacher has told him countless stories of Richter spending all night practicing (coincidentally this is what daniel does, from 1pm - 1am).

well I'm disappointed my post was lost.... but all I can say is I WISH I could practice that long! 

[gruffalo]

ok, you seem to have mis-interpreted what i was saying to super5james. maybe i just waffle too much. Anyway, i was basically asking whether the 12hours of practice he does, does this time include the breaks that he takes. I was actually assuming he does take breaks because no-one can do this without breaks. i was just asking if 12 hours was the total time from beginning to the end of his music day, or was it the actual time he practices excluding all the time taken for breaks and other stuff. Im still waffling, i know. but is that a bit clearer?

[ilikefinnissy]

does it really matter? 

If your focused for that long of a period of time, what does it matter if the exact number comes to 11hrs 43min or 10hrs 53min or 13hrs 5min.

What ultimately matters is how much you progress in whatever amount time you set aside, whether it be 3 hours or 18 hours. Though its true that quality + quantity = maximum results.

The amount of time really does not matter.  Its the results.

For example, if you are a 16 year old beginner at piano, practicing the 2nd C minor prelude of the Well Tempered Clavier painfully slow with a metronome for 14 hours a day will get you nowhere.

Though if you spend your 12 hours a day with several different pieces, (working on individual measures, etc ) focusing on and perfecting specifc areas (not just mindlessly playing through, and making mistakes) and then continuing on with the next piece, then the next, you will have eventually gone through and entire day without knowing it.


I wonder why electric guitarists are much more receptive to the idea of practicing 12 to 15 to 18 hours a day.  I suppose its because they know that working on different techniques (alternate picking, sweep picking, hammerons pullofs, etc etc) and different pieces of music, sight reading, improvising, takes up a LOT of time, and therefore time in the day just seems to fly when practicing.