20 minute blocks -- Project Management

[Bob]

This idea still sounds interesting to me.

What do you do when you run into problems though?

Can anyone write it out (idiot proof)?  A complete plan to tackle any project your working on.

(And what are those original Bernhard links again please?)

[m1469]

Bob, what kind of stunt are you pulling this time ?  I mean, I am just asking and would just like to know, OKAY ?


Hey, I caught a fish and it was this big  :


https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,4988.msg47452.html#msg47452
(Summary of links to optimise practising and planning)



(heeeeerrre kit'ee kit'ee.... )

[Bob]

Always have to have the last word, dontcha m1469?    Stop harassing me m1469 or I will report you to Nils! 

I still see potential in the 20 min block method of planning time.  I haven't always gotten it to work.  I would like some method that will crush any project I'm working on. 






This is what I was looking for.  I found it myself thank you.

https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php?topic=9335.0
Work outline
in Student's Corner
Work outline by stephane
...  posts I read,  I created a work outline excel sheet. It's pretty basic

but I think it  ...



https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,4858.0.html
Topic: Pauls Plan to Try It Himself. For Bernhard 



https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,4689.0.html
Topic: How long to practice after... (Bernhard, yours...) 

[m1469]

thank you.

No problem, happy to help 

[Bob]

bit...   why thank you m1469

[Bob]

Bob thinks....

Part of it is just the periodic (or daily) return.  Like asking a beginning student to practice a half-hour each day.  Eventually, that will produce some results.  The simple solution is just to keep attacking the project each day.

I am concerned about only drilling the notes into the hands, but Bernhard did reply to that one before.  And you could make the project larger and include all aspects, like researching and studying the piece.

Breaking it down would be easy.  You can always split it in half.

A concern might be having too many little 20 minute chunks to do.  Or not having enough time to get to them all.  But if you don't have enought time that way, you may not have had time originally anyway.

The two ways of planning are top down and building up.  Working from the end goal backwards and working up from what you can do now.

Keeping track of it might be a pain.  Starting off at the same point you left off the previous day, keeping your information and plans up to date, updating your plans... all that could be extra/more/pain.  But that part too could be included in the overall plan maybe.

[Bob]

Other concerns....


The learning curve.  The time/effort it takes to hack away at something until it starts to become ingrained and sink in.

Knowing what the next step is.  That seems to be the catcher.  When you don't know what to do, then you have to search for it which takes time.  A block of time could be burned up just thinking.  ... but never getting deep enough to figure the problem out.

Getting up to that point where you have the notes down well under your fingers, but you can't play it up to tempo.  20 minutes a day might not solve that.  That sounds like a longer term issue -- 6 months, a year to fix -- because it involves developing more strength/endurance/control.

The trick is knowing what you're going to be able to do and accurately predicting that, esp estimating the time.  I have heard in time management to simply double your time estimate.  If you mess up, you are left with extra time as a buffer.


It's basically putting a plan down and working it in time, blocking out time during your schedule to work on that.  The difficulty is when the plan doesn't work, the time is too short, or just sticking with the times you will work on the project.

Has anyone else planning their planning at all? 


To answer my own question, the idiot-proof version would be simply blocking out 20 minutes and doing some work on the project.  It's the details that can bog stuff down I think.

[zheer]

Haw old are you Bob, because there is a theory that says a serious pianist should
attempt to sight read through all ov the piano repertoir before he/she reaches 20 years of age.

   Basically its a good idea to sight read through all the pieces you are looking to learn, this might take 3 months. The idea is that you will learn the notes, and eventually the fingers will catch up . This theory works for me, because i have sight read through a number of pieces when i was younger, but could not actually play them well, but now my fingers have cought up with all those notes ( more or less )

      Yes you are right its good to have a plan,

   ( 1 ) write all the pieces you want to learn

   ( 2 ) sight read through all ov them, does'nt matter haw bad

    ( 3 ) spend 15 - 20 minuts on each one of them every day ( if you can )

    ( 4 ) learn them to a point, that sounds musicall ,but not ready.

  ( 5 ) have loads of fun playing them everyday.
   

[Bob]

I am this many!  (holds up fingers and toes)



Another concern.  It might imply that you can tackle any piece.  Just keep

breaking it down.  I don't think working on only two notes would be useful?

right? 

It also implies that you perfect each chunk as you go on.  I wonder if you

could do get it up to "half-baked," move on to the next section, and then

return and polish.  I suppose that's an option.  It's whatever path you

pick.

I still wonder about how to keep track of it all without having it blow up

into some monsterous tracking project itself.

[BoliverAllmon]

I hear that many of the virtuosos keep a practice journal.