Please suggest a system for logging practice hours in which

[barnowl]

the student keeps track of what he's practicing. Is it a good idea?

How about establishing goals for each session (on each assignment including scales and Hanon and sight reading and pieces)? Is this a good idea.

Is there a clock you know of that enables the practitoner (:-)  to total up the practice hours at day's end?

I'm a very disorganized guy and I need a little structure.

(It's a real word and having just checked with dictionary.com, 'practitioner' means exactly what you expect it should.)

[dnephi]

Daniel Heifetz had 8 hours a day to practice, violinist in residence at the Peabody conservatory.  He had these 8 hours a day when a student in a conservatory.  He wrote down every violin technique he could think of and assigned a certain amount of time for each.  Then he did them all one after the other until his alarms went off, signalling a switch.  In this way he covered everything everyday.

[m1469]

I log my practicing using a very simple method.  I get a piece of grid paper (though you could use a spread sheet computer software) and list all of the pieces I am currently working on over in the RH side of the paper.  Each paper will be for one month at a time.  Across the top of the paper, I will put the dates (1-- whatever) for the month. This sheet is used simply to tally the days that I practice each piece, and I mark an "X" wihtin the coordinate box for each day that I practice each piece.  I have attached a copy of this as I do it :





I also keep a practice journal.  This is a little more detailed, and it is meant to keep track of exactly what I practice.  An excerpt from a page may look something like this :

Bach
G Major      
   Prelude : Entire thing, 3 times from memory, up to tempo
   Fugue   :    SV  (1-23)(24-38)(38-46)(46-51)
                   {  MV  (5-81)(81-82)(83-85)(85-86)
                   {  BV  (11-21)


I have a little system that gives me information.  For example, I practice in 15 minute sessions (I actually use a timer).  Each line used to record my practice chunks is representative of a single 15 minute session, unless bracketed with another line.  As in the case of the Bach Fugue, the SV stands for soprano voice, and MV middle voice, BV bass voice.  As you can see the MV and BV are bracketed together (as best I could on the computer), meaning I practiced those within the same session.  Also, each set within the parenthesies means that I practiced that particular chunk 7 times in a row, as a chunk.

I know how many hours I have practiced based on the amount of 15 minutes sessions I have done.  I just do the math in my wee little thinker.

I hope that helps .

m1469

[gonzalo]

the student keeps track of what he's practicing. Is it a good idea?

How about establishing goals for each session (on each assignment including scales and Hanon and sight reading and pieces)? Is this a good idea.

Is there a clock you know of that enables the practitoner (:-)  to total up the practice hours at day's end?

I'm a very disorganized guy and I need a little structure.

(It's a real word and having just checked with dictionary.com, 'practitioner' means exactly what you expect it should.)

Here:

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php?PHPSESSID=5e12b20d0aa9ff4b9e7b88aaf7f528de&topic=6263.msg61691#msg61691
(Practice Time)

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,7603.msg76044.html#msg76044
(Practice Routine; long list of links by Bernhard)

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php?PHPSESSID=5e12b20d0aa9ff4b9e7b88aaf7f528de&topic=4988.msg47452#msg47452
(Better utilization of practice time : list of links by Berhnhard)

And the BEST of all links:

https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,5767.msg56133.html
( HUGE COLLECTION OF LINKS) 

Enjoy,
 
Gonzalo

[barnowl]

These were wonderful posts. Thank you all very much!!

I saved this file, and can now tailor my practice sessions and logging
procedures.

How great!!!!

[mike_lang]

How about establishing goals for each session (on each assignment including scales and Hanon and sight reading and pieces)? Is this a good idea.

I think this is the best way to go.  Although I find it suspect to be practicing less than four hours a day, I try to stay away from the idea of counting hours.  It is most important that things are accomplished, rather than hours tallied.  I believe that hours counted go hand in hand with mindless repetitions.  If something is amiss, one should not repeat it for an hour and hope it gets better, but instead, stop and examine the problem.  This is a time-saver and keeps pieces fresh.  I do not think that clock-watching is compatible with concentrated practicing.

Best,
ML

[stevehopwood]

How about establishing goals for each session (on each assignment including scales and Hanon and sight reading and pieces)? Is this a good idea.

I think this is the best way to go.  Although I find it suspect to be practicing less than four hours a day, I try to stay away from the idea of counting hours.  It is most important that things are accomplished, rather than hours tallied.  I believe that hours counted go hand in hand with mindless repetitions.  If something is amiss, one should not repeat it for an hour and hope it gets better, but instead, stop and examine the problem.  This is a time-saver and keeps pieces fresh.  I do not think that clock-watching is compatible with concentrated practicing.

Best,
ML

I agree (apart from the "Although I find it suspect to be practicing less than four hours a day" - I prepare recitals and concertos on half of this). It is not the quantity, but the quality of time you spend practising that counts.

Having said that, barnowl, to answer, "Is there a clock you know of that enables the practitoner (:-)  to total up the practice hours at day's end?"

Yes, there is. Buy a stopwatch - they cost little. Start it when you practise and stop it when you finish. However many times you practise during the day, the stopwatch will keep a tally of how long you have done that day.

This can be an illuminating exercise that pricks the, "I do xxxx" (where xxxx = something silly) self-delusion immediately.

Steve 

[barnowl]

"Hmm. Come to think of it...I...uh..."<clears throat>"...I have a stopwatch."



We should have an emoticon that smacks its head as if to say, "How stupid
can I get?!!"   

[stevehopwood]

"Hmm. Come to think of it...I...uh..."<clears throat>"...I have a stopwatch."



We should have an emoticon that smacks its head as if to say, "How stupid
can I get?!!"   

Be warned, there is a horrible downside to timing your practise with a stopwatch.

It never lies 

Mine tells me exactly how little I have done with total honesty.

Hey ho.

Steve 

[barnowl]

I haven't really honed into the timing thing yet. But for Hanon exercises 1 through 5, 32 and 34, I am doing each 5 times per session, and keeping track, starting with 5 wooden beads in one little plastic cup, transferring 1 bead at a time into another cup.

My wife laughs at me. And so do I. 

Starting Friday (after my 3pm lesson) I'm going to log like m1469 recommends. Speaking of m1469, I often wonder how it's pronounced.

Would it rhyme with a long a as in...

m1469 go see!!
Bela Lagosi!

Or a long i as in...

m1469 retorts, "I will
File a report!!"

Just wondering.

 

[gorbee natcase]

How about the clocks used in speed chess

[barnowl]

How about the clocks used in speed chess

You mean a standard chess clock, right? It just happens I have one of those, too (in addition to a stopwatch).


Great idea, Gorbee! Might be just what the doctor ordered.

Thanks!

[alwaystheangel]

.

[barnowl]

Who could argue?