Reps on repertoire

[Bob]

Hmmm... let's see what this stirs up....


I'm working on a piece of music.  (...mm, k?)

I would like to do many repetitions on parts of it.  I can tell these repetitions help.  I start out doing five reps on each part of the piece. 

Then I notch the tempo up and do some more reps over the piece.

It works well.  I can tell the piece is sinking in more and more.  I would like to keep going, keep getting that progress.  It's nice.  However, I've repeated the piece ten times and it's getting pretty boring. 

I like seeing the piece being easier and easier to play, that I don't have to read the music as closely or with as much concentration.  I like knowing that my hands (physical plyaing apparatus) are getting a workout and I will stay in shape this way, maybe even pushing things a little.

But it's more and more like "work" to sit there drilling the piece like this by the end.  The next day is easier because I'm fresh, but if that what I have to do, that's what I have to do.

Any ideas for doing many repetitions?  Or maybe this isn't the best way to go about working on the piece? 

[minimozart007]

well... assuming your not doing mindless repetition...

when I have to repeat a segment, Ill alternate btw

trying to see the keys in my head and my hands playing them with my eyes closed

thinking through different voices if its a polyphonic piece

inverting dynamics

Changing articulation

and so on.

I dont know if this helps.
 

[Bob]

I'm not sure.  What do you mean by mindless repetition?

The repetition helps.  After awhile, my mind is freer than it was.  At first, some places I needed to really concentrate otherwise I would mess up.  Not so much now.  But now, I'm pushing for more speed.  Those problems come back -- no attention at a faster speed and I mess up.  Some of the reps are just to "ease" things since I get too tense I think from pushing the tempo.  So sometimes I'm focusing on correct notes, some times pushing the tempo, sometimes easing, and then sometimes just playing for the reps (like if I tell myself I will do five reps on each section).

[dinosaurtales]

OK.  Now that we are on the subject. What I hate is doing lots of slow repititions on  a really hard page, and trying to speed it up even the tiniest bit and it dies.  So back to the same slow tempo - more repititions - try it up a notch one more time - flop - damn - and so on and so on.  I am working on a bit like this, and even though it does speed up in tiny bits - it is taking WAAAAAAAY longer than I thought it would to get it.  it's the coda to ballade #1 in g minor.  cripes!