The Practice Method

[8426]

I'll outline briefly what lvl I'm at and what I've done. I started Sep. 2006 when i was 11 with piano lessons, my first semester I played a hymn, bach's minuet in g and schumman:the wild horseman. 

The next semester I started selected studies: czerny edited by germer. rondo alla turca, burgmuller. Fur Elise (original 3/8 piece) beethoven, and mozart, theme and variations. In the czerny's i learned up to #20 by july 2007. Everything I played was memorized, the czerny's i played especially well.

In the summer I went to a piano camp i won an award but not that great of one, I laxed a little in my studies.

In sep. i started again with the same teacher. I studied Bach's invention #8 and 2 Scarlatti sonatas.

The next semester I started bach inventions 1 and 2, mozart sonata in c major (that famous one, i had so much trouble with it), and a chopin waltz.

In the summer i assisted the same camp, i played bach very well and won some awards. during this time i learned bach invention #13

Now i'm 13 and decided to switch teachers. I changed to an armenian teacher. I
started studying brahms waltz in a flat major, nocturne in e minor chopin, a sonata by beethoven (the easiest), bocherinni minuet and very recently moonlight sonata by beethoven.  my great accomplishment was to finish the selected studies part 1, 1-50 studies all memorized and played well.

Now in this overview i think i progressed moderately well. It is nov. 2008 and with around 2 years i'm doing ok.

I now am searching for the "truth" and profoundly frustrated. My practice consists of playing a certain difficulty a certain number of times and then leaving it...and so on everything consists of playing 3 time or 4 etc.

How exactly should I practice? Timing myself? For example give myself 45 minutes for scales and exercises...and so on? Take breaks in between? I know i'm not close to prodigies of these day. i would like to be the best. typical. but i do. i'll practice as long as required. how much should a 13 old practice? i'm homeschooled so i can dedicate myself more than usual. what books would expand my musical knowledge and insight on technique? Is there a possibility of getting the free ones?

i'm also learning violin and have the same feeling towards it. i don't want to sound proud...i know i am and i should be humbled. but i've already been humbled so much with the frustration from practicing and seeing no results. please help me...it is very hard to have all the time but not be able to use it correctly. i hope to someday be recognized by some of you. the word please does not define how much help i need. please...

 

[m19834]

Well, as it turns out, I think the only "true" practice method boils down to knowing what you want and knowing how to get it. 

For now, that's all the energy I've got to give.

[javacisnotrecognized]

Practice should, in my opinion, be the matter of breaking down difficulties into their simplest compents, perfecting these components, and then reassembling the whole thing back together. The ultimate difficulty is "How do I get the sound or musical effects that I want out of the piano?" and this should be your starting point. If your pieces already sound how you would like them to, you have reached your goal. If you don't have any idea how you want them to sound, then your musical mind is malnourished; feed it with some good recordings, attend a recital or two, get some instruction from a good teacher, etc. If your music does not sound ideal, figure out, as accurately as possible, why it doesn't. Then figure out the cause of the problem. The cause could be anything from poor rhythm, to an issue with any part of your mental & physical self, a poor piano, or even a room with bad acoustics.

If all else fails, improvise until you're forced to stop; or try to read every post on pianostreet.

[8426]

java sounds good...thank you. i don't have a real piano i study on a digital hard key. i might get a real one soon. over baldwin, wurlitzer and kimball which is should i get as a student for practice?

[javacisnotrecognized]

I would say get whichever one you think sounds the best (Or fits your budget best   ). Also, you shouldn't consider yourself limited to the piano(s) you own. On weekends, holidays etc. I usually stop somewhere that has a piano better than my own. If you live nearby a college with a music department, it is unlikely anyone will try to stop you if happen to wander down to their practice rooms and slip in for a while. Most high class hotels have a yamaha grand tucked in a corner on at least one floor. Look around, see what you find. It might just be your dream instrument.

[db05]

  Wow I am envious of your progress. Yeah, I remember you. 

Memorizing everything?!?! That's obsessive. I'm a memorizer, but I don't play Czerny by memory. Have you been practicing sight reading? That might help.

How to practice... well my practice method is ever-evolving. First off, make a practice log to see how you're doing. I'd practice all day, but I have a physical/ mental limit that I'm trying to extend. About 2 1/2 hrs these days. After that, hands are either slightly numb or painful and mind is just about to zone out. Take note of these things- physical pain and your level of concentration. Try to plan your practice schedule accordingly. Sometimes it is a matter of time. Experiment to see if you do well in 1 hour, 30 minute or 15 minute sessions throughout the day, working on one or more things in each session. Okay, that might take forever. How about doing something until you get a bit tired of it and then moving to the next thing? Take note of the time spent on each thing . That's your prime time. Maybe that will work.

btw I ended up with 30 min sessions, doing one thing for 10-20 minutes, and then another. If you do this, you have to get used to the fact that you'll never master anything on one sitting, not even a scale (at least in my opinion). This might not be your thing. Just an example.

Take note of your weaknesses and focus on eliminating those. Like problem solving. This goes for any instrument you're studying.

Check out some of the links here (too lazy to post individual links LOL):
https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,31923.0.html
Yeah it's my thread for reference because sometimes I also forget my links. The articles from the guitar sites in particular are of interest to musicians of any instrument. So don't skip them.