how would you find motivation when practising becomes boring?

[alison128]

I hope you guys can share any ideas about how to find motivation when practising becomes boring. Some of the pieces take ages for me to practise and sometimes i feel tired and boring when I keep on practising on the same piece day by day. I know practise makes perfect but sometimes I really feel like giving up, i hope someone can provide me with some tips! Then I would really appreciate it~

[barbg]

I think you will find your answer in this article, 

https://www.soundfeelings.com/free/piano_myths.htm

Enjoy & Press on!

[peterjmathis]

This is one of the reasons it's good to have more than one piece available to work on at a time. If you have two or three you'll have more choice and will get less bored.

[nystul]

Step away for a little while and play some ragtime or pop tunes or something.  Life is too short to despise your hobbies.  Although if you intend it to be more than a hobby, or you have an exam/performance in the near future, you may want to ignore this advice and suck it up.

[alison128]

Thanks to all for the replies, especially to barbg, the article is very useful indeed! Thanks again 

[dss62467]

Oh yeah!  That link was VERY useful!   It definitely helps me stop feeling guilty that I haven't touched my piano for 3 days due to the flu.  The hard piece of advice to take, I think, is practicing in short stretches instead of long.  I get a bit obsessive and have a hard time getting up and walking away.

Thanks for the topic!

[berniano]

When I feel stuck in a rut practicing, I like to take some time away from my regular practice and spend it listening to my pieces either on recordings or youtube. I try to listen to as many interpretations as I can get my hands on so I can better develop  my own interpretation (not that I try to copy anyone, but sometimes it is enlightening to listen to a more experienced and professional pianist). Also, by the time I finish listening to and (if youtube) watching some of the greats, I usually end up inspired (and hopefully not discouraged  ) to practice. My teachers tell me that not all practicing is spent at the keyboard anyway   ....

[pianist7]

watch a video of a professional, or think of Carnegie Hall!

[peterjmathis]

I usually play something I know well and enjoy as a break, and try to work on loads of pieces so I can switch if one starts driving me nuts.

[go12_3]

When I begin to play my piano, it sounds good and that is motivation for me, and I do some warm up exercises and do some sightreading, then practice upon pieces of different levels
of difficulty.  It's a good idea to have several pieces to work on, but for each day, that
would too much to absorb.  Like, I may practice my Chopin Etude 10/1 and just focus upon the
tempo and then on another day work on the notes.  I focus upon the tempo, or notes, or fingering, do RH alone, then LH alone.  I practice for 15 minutes on a piece and then go to the next piece.  I have easier pieces to work on, like the Sonatinas from a variety of composers which are great for warming up the fingers. Plus, I have some jazz pieces for enjoyment.  I work on slow and fast pieces.

Practicing doesn't get so mundane when I relearn an old piece also.  I am still working on Chopin's Fantasy Impromtu which I started a year ago; it has been "resting" for a while and I think I'll work on it again and see how it goes.  Plus, I always learn a new piece, Bach's Partita in B flat which I've begun this week.  I love playing the piano and therefore practicing has never been boring.   

[mike saville]

There are many, many ways you can mix up your practice routine to make it far more enjoyable. Trouble is most teachers don't show you and most students think they have to practice every day in the same old way.

• Why not write a list of 6 things/bars/scales you have to practice and roll a dice to determine which one you have to do?
  Try practice without the piano - tap your fingers and imagine in minute detail how you would play the piece.
  Listen to some recordings of your music, write down what was good and what was bad.
  Find a friend and practice with them.

There are loads of things you can do with a little imagination. The link in my sig has more if you want.

There is one tip that above all others will motivate you to keep practising. Think to yourself 'When I've finished practising, even if it is only 5 minutes from now, I will be better than when I started'. Seeing yourself improve is the best motivation of all. 

[dss62467]

wine.  Get a bottle of your favorite wine and pour yourself a glass.  Keep it on the piano, then relax and enjoy the journey.

[pianopieces]

I watch some amazing piano pieces on Youtube. Then I get jealous and feel more motivated.
Haha, horrible, I know.

[keyofc]

I think this is a good way -
If you are working on 3 different pieces - mark the form.
Then - decide on part 1, part 2, part 3 for example.
Do it with all your pieces.
Work only on part 1 on each -
the next day work on part 2 with each one -
etc.
By the time you are done - you will have learned all three -
Though it takes more time - it's a lot more motivating because of the results.