Should A Week Be Taken Off?

[netzow]

I am spending a week at a camp starting this Saturday. A Piano is avalible for practice. My Question is should I take the week off from practicing (I haven't taken any time off for several months) or should I Practice (probably not to much). Which would be more  beneficial in your opinion? Is it better to practice a little or rest Completely?

[faustsaccomplice]

I am spending a week at a camp starting this Saturday. A Piano is avalible for practice. My Question is should I take the week off from practicing (I haven't taken any time off for several months) or should I Practice (probably not to much). Which would be more  beneficial in your opinion? Is it better to practice a little or rest Completely?

you'll know when it's time to rest.

just BE SURE that you get back to work, no matter what, after a predetermined amount of time.  it's easy to let a week turn into a month, believe me. 

[seetherage]

yea what faust said was true!

we always say "Mom just 5 more min" .... when we actually wake up, we already missed the bus....

its always good to practice....
if your in camp, i'd suggest that you practice morning and night, maybe 1 hour each day time...
Cya

[amanfang]

I don't think taking the week off for camp is a bad idea.  Take a break.  It's not going to ruin your future piano career.  Have fun!

[lagin]

Yeah, it's only a week.  You'll go back after a nice break feeling refreshed.

[debussy symbolism]

Greetings.

If I take a day off I can feel my technique and mood go way down. Really hard to get back up after more than a day. If I don't practice I get depressed.

[thierry13]

Greetings.

If I take a day off I can feel my technique and mood go way down. Really hard to get back up after more than a day. If I don't practice I get depressed.

If your technique goes down after one day, it is really not normal. I recently left for France for 3 weeks, and did NOT had a piano to practice. When I came back, I didn't see any difference in my playing(except i had blanks on some parts of some pieces XD, lol). You should think about getting your technique incorporated to your fingers. If you loose it after one day, it clearly isn't developed enough. Try doing slow practice, and gradually improve speed. When you will really be able to leave the piano for a few days and get back to it without a problem.

Yeah, it's only a week.  You'll go back after a nice break feeling refreshed.

Agreed.

[debussy symbolism]

If your technique goes down after one day, it is really not normal. I recently left for France for 3 weeks, and did NOT had a piano to practice. When I came back, I didn't see any difference in my playing(except i had blanks on some parts of some pieces XD, lol). You should think about getting your technique incorporated to your fingers. If you loose it after one day, it clearly isn't developed enough. Try doing slow practice, and gradually improve speed. When you will really be able to leave the piano for a few days and get back to it without a problem.

Agreed.

You don't understand. My issue is psychological. I feel guilty for not practicing and that naturally hinders me. Even if I haven't practiced for a week because I was on vacation that I was forced to participate in with my family, I returned to the piano and afer a couple of minutes I was back where I left off. It is the psychological guilt that makes it harder.

[rc]

I used to feel pretty guilty about missed time.  Knowing that the only way to get better is to put in the time, and more time put in = better faster...  That's the influence of this forum.

Everybody's different.  I now find that attitude unhealthy.  Taking piano TOO seriously killed off my social life and my work suffered, so I'm having troubles paying the bills and have no friends who care enough to hear what I'm learning.  It became counterproductive, there's something to be said for balance.

Now I don't mind time off.  To use a cliche "absence makes the heart grow fonder".  That's what happens, and after a break I have all this pent up practice-energy and things just soar.  Non-piano activities will enrich your soul, you will have more inspiration to draw from, consider it an investment...  Charging your batteries.

[sss3d]

You make a really good point RC.  I always love your comments.   

[timothy42b]

You don't understand. My issue is psychological. I feel guilty for not practicing and that naturally hinders me. Even if I haven't practiced for a week because I was on vacation that I was forced to participate in with my family, I returned to the piano and afer a couple of minutes I was back where I left off. It is the psychological guilt that makes it harder.

Tonight when you go to sleep, I'll still be up.

Practicing YOUR audition material.

Sleep well and guilt free. 

[debussy symbolism]

Social life is stupid. "Oh look, I have gotten these new earings and this new dress. Like oh my god just look at me. Oh, are you going to that party tomorrow(giggles). I wash ten times a day, oh."

Time couldn't be wasted more on such things as that. Fashion, celebrities, parties, and all the other junk available there. The teenagers today are most profligate in their manner, spending countless money on jewels, clothes, and other things that have no internal value at all. I am all for taking breaks simply because they are necessary, but why take breaks that will hinder your advancement. I hate most things on television. I enjoy watching the travel channel, the history channel, discovery, ARTS (my favourite), and occasionally sci-fi. Most of the time I just watch music videos.

Going outside? Hanging out? What could be move stupid than that?

[debussy symbolism]

Tonight when you go to sleep, I'll still be up.

Practicing YOUR audition material.

Sleep well and guilt free. 

I don't exactly understand what you mean by that. I have to arrange my practice so that each piece gets attention. I am working on currently 3 Moszkowski etudes (op 72, nos 1,2,5 with nos 1 and 2 completely memorized, but still need work, and the 5th one I just started so it naturally still needs alot of work), 2 Schubert Imprompus, 2 Bach's preludes, Czerny and a lot of technical material. This doesn't include scales, arpeggios, and chords with which I start practice. It is crucial that I don't just mindlessly go over them, but rather spend time on each section scrutinizing it for perfection.

[debussy symbolism]

Concerning guilt, if I involuntarily missed a day of practicing simply because of time, then of course I don't feel guilty(although pissed). However, if I haven't practiced the way I should, such as speeding through(a habit which I am quite familiar with), or not staying relaxed during finger independance excercises( I am making sure I do those correctly) I do get a bit dissapointed, but rather look forward the next day, in which I will correct my mistakes and practice better.

[timothy42b]

I don't exactly understand what you mean by that.

It's an old joke.  Also written as "tonight when you go to sleep, somebody will still be up - practicing your part!"  It implies that if you slack off or get lazy, somebody who is working harder will take away your job/position/scholarship etc.  Since you are guilt ridden anyway, I thought it would add to your burden! 

For a serious answer.  There is no way you forget how to play piano in one week.  A week away from it leaves most people craving it and coming back with new energy.  It also allows fatigue and some nagging little almost injuries to heal.  Take a break. 

[mike_lang]

It's an old joke.  Also written as "tonight when you go to sleep, somebody will still be up - practicing your part!"  It implies that if you slack off or get lazy, somebody who is working harder will take away your job/position/scholarship etc.  Since you are guilt ridden anyway, I thought it would add to your burden! 

For a serious answer.  There is no way you forget how to play piano in one week.  A week away from it leaves most people craving it and coming back with new energy.  It also allows fatigue and some nagging little almost injuries to heal.  Take a break. 

I agree, take a break.  You'll come back at it with full force the following week - probably stronger than if you hadn't taken the break.  Everyone needs a break now and then.

Michael

[debussy symbolism]

Of course I don't lose technique if haven't practiced for a week. That's ridiculous. Just that in my mind I always have the notion that if it wasn't for a vacation, I would be better now.

[netzow]

What are people defining as technique? If one has mastered something one should not IMO lose It in a week. It may be rusty but that should be able to be fixed fairly fast. I'm back (obviously) and I took the week of so i'll let everyone know how It turnes out after I sit down to practice tommorow.

[debussy symbolism]

Yeah, once something is learned you will not lose it over a week. Perhaps it might not be flawless, but after 2 repetitions it'll be back to normal.

[daniel patschan]

Donīt forget: Martin Krause enforced Claudio Arrau to take a brake from playing for one month each year. Has Arrau had a career or not ? 

[ted]

I had seven weeks without playing last year while my piano's action was being rebuilt. I didn't notice any difference. I did use my silent practice clavier though, which could have helped. My music is a highly enjoyable activity. If it reached the stage of being a compulsive neurosis I think I'd flag it away. But I don't take myself as seriously as most people here do.

[netzow]

OK. The first day back my fingers were a little slow, but by the end of day two back everything was back to normal. I actually was really encouraged by the playing of some of the people at camp so It was definatly worth it. Now all I need to do is figure out a new way to split up my practice time so that I will get the most benifit out of it. Any Ideas?

[lostinidlewonder]

I remember when I went on vacation through Europe and Asia after I finished my highschool. I was at one time 6 weeks without touching the keys of a piano. It drove me literally crazy. I drew a piano keyboard on paper and carried the paper with me so I could practice my fingering! Can you imagine I was like a rabid dog rushing over to any piano I came across, curses flying out of my mouth when it was locked.

I remember in Istanbul Turkey I even knocked on a mans door because I could see a piano through the window of his house and asked him if I could play it. Not surprisingly I got a polite no and a door slammed in my face!

So for me taking time off from the piano literally drives me crazy, I cannot deal with it. I think I need that physical contract with a keyboard, perhaps it is like a comforter. I feel the piano is like a pressure releaser for me, it always has been. I think the piano also gives me identity, because not everyone in this world does music and I know I am a part of a small group of people in this world who would give up part of their life to learn how to produce the ideal sound out of an instrument.

Time taking off any work however gives us different perspectives when we return back to work. I know for piano now and then I will take time off from learning new music and simply play music I already know for a few weeks. So when I come back to the procedure of learning new music I feel refreshed and ready to absorb more stuff again. I feel it is almost like cleaning out my head, clearing space, organising all the work I have already absorbed. When everything is neat and ordered return back to learning more music.

Splitting up your practice time is a good idea. I find waking up with the sun and getting your piano practice done early is good. Before the day has even started you will have already had 3 hours of practice done. I like practicing when I wake up, it helps me wake up, your brain can simply accept shapes and pattern without making conscious observation, some sort of Alpha state of concerntration.

I also like practicing after a long day at work and after I've finished all student preparations for the next day. It relaxes me to investigate music and learn new stuff, winds me down, its like reading abook before bed for me.

I try not to practice piano during the day time (unless I have some big commitments on the way like performance), the day time is left for my music teaching or living life! Setting a time for your music is important rather than just saying to yourself I will do it whenever I am free, or I will do it over the entire day until I get to x hours.