Help me plan my practice

[maniacal]

Hello everyone
I have a piano but am also a drummer and guitar teacher. This has left me with little time to practice.

However, I have just changed my hours so have alot of time to practice.

I have many Czerny books that I am currently using for practice.
To avoid getting into a pointless practice routine I was hoping to plan things properly.

What should my practice consist of?
My real aim is to be playing Liszt pieces. Obviously im aware of how hard they are and this is NOT  a short term goal.
Should I spend my time working purely on technique or learning pieces?
Maybe a 80/20 split?

I was planning on doing 4 hours a day of Czerny exercises to a metronome (at the moment im doing 3 hours). I am going to need extremely good technique so I figure its the thing to work on most.
Is 4 hours too much or not enough?

My site reading isnt too great but I have no problem playing pieces from memory so I dont see this as too important.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Jon

[amelialw]

4 hrs of Czerny and nothing else?

that really won't help. 30 mins-1 hr for Czerny would be sufficiant.

I'm guessing that you don't have a teacher, you should get one.

Anyway you should'nt purely work on technique, how will you learn musicality then, by the time you get to Liszt you will struggle alot.

Work on more basic pieces 1st.

[nyonyo]

My teacher keeps saying be careful with technical exercises, if you do not do it correctly it could be harmful.

I agree with Amelia, you need to get a teacher. But not only just a teacher, he or she must be a good teacher. There are so many teachers around but very few who really can teach well.

[pianistimo]

here's an article for you which explains the concepts of czerny vs. liszt:

https://www.scena.org/lsm/sm5-5/technique-en.htm

i want to say that czerny is still useful if you use it in a slightly different manner.  basically, to help with practicing relaxation and natural movement (which czerny IS helpful with - as he wrote in a VERY pianistic manner) and memorization.  if you can memorize czerny - you are well on your way to memorizing liszt.

i think i would practice the czerny for 15 minutes to 1/2 hour at most - and then practice a bit of whatever other repertoire you have (whether from the library or purchased) and finally the liszt.  that way - your fingers are warmed up - but you are not too tired to play the liszt.  carpel tunnels is a real problem when pianists overpractice.

for instance, when i was learning bach's english suite #3 (first mov't) - i didn't use warm-up exercises at all.  that WAS my warm up.  it is constant playing with no rests.  i literally counted the number of times i went through it and refused to practice it more than 3x in one sitting.  but, i would come back to the piano several times during the day.  breaks are important for back/neck/arms/wrists/hands.

[schubertiad]

Having a long term goal is great, but what about short term goals? Are there any simpler pieces you're dying to learn? If it is the flashiness of Liszt that appeals to you, there are plenty of easier pieces which sound quite flash. Do a search on here for some suggestions. As for 4 hours of Czerny studies a day, it sounds like some sort of classical torture device. After a few months of that you would certainly be able to play some Czerny studies, but not necessarily anything else. Plus, I for one wouldn't have the grim determination to keep that sort of routine up for more than a day or two. Stick to pieces you're really keen on playing, and you will find a way to solve the technical problems which come up. Bernhard gives good advice on long and short term goals. I won't try and paraphrase it here, but will give you a link to all his main posts:
https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,9159.msg92755.html#msg92755

[maniacal]

Ok, thanks for the help.
I will have a look through my barrage of piano books for some easier stuff to play.
I will also look into getting a teacher as I don't want to get into bad habits
What should I look for in a piano teacher?

Why is it that doing purely technical exercises can be so damaging/counterproductive on piano?  In my experience doing technique practice will only make the impossible eventually effortless.

So the overall impression then, is do 30-60 mins Czerny followed by 3 hours of pieces?

Jon

[pianistimo]

that was 'old school.'  the new school is to maximize your time on repertoire because you aren't going for so much finger independence - but working it all together.  it used to be that all the fingers were required to work independently.  perhaps it is still necessary on some of bach's works - but the dexterity needed in liszt is much different.  you are looking to basically relax and find uniquely hand/arm patterned situations which give the 'illusion' of all this independence.  when you find something comfortable - it's because your arm and hand have found a comfortable spot.  anywhere on the keyboard should become comfortable.  not only with fingering - but also with hand and arm positioning.  if your arm is relaxed - you can literally reach up or down the keyboard in any direction.  you have to sit far enough back so that your body is not in the way.  and, once you connect all the dots - it's much different than playing beethoven.  liszt is sort of like jumping crevaces in mountainclimbing.  you have many things to connect together.  many ideas and many virtuosic things.  first of all - you have to be able to play the 'sections.' then, you find ways to make the connecting parts smooth.  some of this is fingering.  some of it is using lh and rh in ways that help the speed.  and, to think of your arms when you move your fingers so that the fingers can be comfortable wherever they are. 

to minimize overpractice - i've heard it said that people should practice at the fastest slow speed they have - not the slowest slow speed.  then, it saves about 3 days of practice to work it up to speed. this means you have to work out the rhythms in your head precisely.