Sleeping at the piano, help!

[poh3]

Hi all! I chanced upon here while researching about a dilemma I'm facing, and I do believe I need help in this. Badly.

The topic subject says it all: I'm falling asleep at the piano. It's been disastrous since I started playing the piano (from young, but I took a long hiatus and am back at it as a beginner). I try to start practice with a warm up of scales and arpeggios. About 5 keys in and I'm slouching and ready to hit the sack.

I have tried alternative methods of approaching practice: playing pieces from memory for fun, or songs in my mind that I'd like to play, before hitting the scales. I'd be lucky, at times, to even make it to the scales.

I love playing the piano, but this is starting to hamper me down. I do tell myself not to fall asleep, not to doze off, but I surrender when I can't open my eyes. I have, seriously, tried banging my head against the piano to no effect.

Any suggestions? And am I the only one who's fighting sleep at practice?

[kookaburra]

Sounds like you have not been getting enough sleep at night.

?

[smithreeseii]

Is this some kind of joke??

[Bob]

I've had that happen. 

Caffeine, etc.  Taking breaks can help.

Forcing the mind to concentrate.  Over time it will finally give in. 

Just getting enough sleep like others have said.

Having a plan for practicing, knowing what you're working on/trying to achieve, and how to go about that.

[Bob]

Cat naps can help too.  If it's a long piano bench you're lay it -- Not so comfortable, but if you're tired enough it works very well.  Set a timer to wake yourself back up.

[lostinidlewonder]

If one is interested in their piano study they will not fall asleep while practicing. If you where walking a tight rope up above a 20 story building would you fall asleep? It is a mind set but in saying that, scales and arpeggios are quite boring to study mechanically.

[stevebob]

And am I the only one who's fighting sleep at practice?

I'm curious to know if you have any sense of why you're having this problem.  Do you fall asleep immediately upon sitting down and initiating any other activity (such as reading, watching television, listening to music, eating, driving    , etc.)?

If not, why do you suppose that is?  What would be different about piano practice that might trigger such a response?

On a less serious note, I read a suggestion here that you nap on your piano bench.  That could work, but I really think that a grand piano six feet or more in length would be more comfortable.  (Lid closed, obviously.  )

[horowitzian]

This happened to me a few weeks ago while playing Chopin's F major nocturne while extremely tired. I literally lulled myself to sleep in the opening section, only to be woken up in a most unpleasant fashion by my somewhat ridiculous attempt to start in on the con fuoco while asleep. 

[vviola]

Get more sleep, drinks lots of coffee, play pieces you actually want to play, stop playing scales and exercises if they bore you.

[jessica mendez]

what your palying boreds you so give yourself a challengeand play something thats above your level but not too high to the point you cant really read it to well. sugur and caffeine a good help!!!!!

[Bob]

I've pushed myself on some chord stuff that was pretty boring and it's paying off now.  It's not all fun and exciting.  Some is just work.  And it takes work, sitting down and hammering away each day. 

I wouldn't stop learning basics like scales.  Maybe change them up.  I do think repetition can help in the long run.  Some stuff I do I wonder why, but in six months things change and I can't knock that. 


Caffeine never really solved it for me.  You can take more and more.  It works temporarily.  Then you're body adjusts and you need more for that same level of alertness or nervousness.  And it can just tire you out.  And then you'll need some just to be normal but it really won't do anything. 

I'm thinking having some kind of clear goal will help.  Something you understand.  I'm thinking for myself here too.  And something you know how to do, or fess up that you don't know and make some new goals maybe. 

With that goal in mind, force your mind to follow it.  I've found speaking out loud helps to focus my mind.  For tricky stuff (which could seem boring my mind can't stay focused on it because it's too challenging) speaking can help.  Break it up into pieces if you have to.

Taking breaks -- I'm thinking here breaks to refocus the mind.  Although maybe that's doing some mindless stuff. 

And getting good rest.  Good sleep.  Less stress.  Good food.  Exercise.  I've got a few posts about that.  Easier said than done though.  Maybe alter some things in your life if you have to. 

Having a set schedule.  Maybe that would help. 

I've found with repetive stuff that I can kind of hypotize myself too.  Not quite the same as sleep but related. 

[jeff_clef]

I find it useful to take a short break every fifteen minutes or so: stretch the back and arms, breathe.  It could be, simply, that you are using up the body's resources and it's causing you to fade.

Once you get used to the twenty-second break to break up the tension and get some oxygen back in the brain, you don't even have to break your concentration.