Dangers of leaving piano

[qpalqpal]

I am going to Spain from August 3 to August 27 or so. I will have a lesson the day before. Is there anything I can do so that I don't lose what I have learned. Will that even happen. I will play in Spain 2 or 3 times, but that is not sufficient. What do I do?

[quantum]

What do I do?

Enjoy your trip!

Just because you are away from the instrument and your teacher doesn't mean you stop learning and thinking about music.  The mind is active, even though physically you may not be.  Time off will allow you a retreat from practicing.  You may find when you get back, some things that were previously difficult have started to get better. 

[ted]

Yes, what quantum says is very true. I was without my piano for seven weeks while the action was being rebuilt. I did have my Virgil Practice Clavier but that isn't quite the same thing. I was a bit scared to start playing the first time afterwards. But what difference was there ? None, absolutely none. I played just as well (or just as roughly) as before. Musically, I did seem to experience a surge of new ideas, but I cannot say for certain that the break caused that.

[countrymath]

Interesting tread.

I'm going  today to my cousin's house for a week, and I will be without practing all that time. First, i was a little afraid of being all that time without practicing. But then i tought, "To hell, i'm not learning anything at all...". Also, I will be reading, downloading and listening more then if I was here. It is a great opportunity to organize yourself and think about what you are doing and why you are doing.

Also, spanish chicks rules.

Math.

[lorditachijr]

Haha here's my anecdote about time away from the instrument:

My family and I generally go out of town every couple of weekends, usually to the nearby beach (an hour and a half drive). I'm always promised at least one trip to the music store so that I can just get my hands on a keyboard, but for the most part I go without. I find that whenever I'm away I find that my playing always happens to get better when I return. My opinion on it is that every once in awhile our brain needs a break so that it can absorb everything you've learned. I also find my interpretations develop more away from the piano than at the piano. Often times when I get blocks in the repertoire and just can't fix something, leaving the piece alone for a few days makes the problem go away. I think breaks can be really helpful for everyone, so like quantum said, enjoy the trip.

Good luck!
John

[scott13]

Spending 5-7 days away from piano won't really hurt your technique at all. And as has been stated already, your brain can really work on interpretations while you are not playing. Try mentally playing you pieces as a means of testing memory too.

[dsynth]

what i do is listen to the music(another artists rendition) via mp3 player or phone and imagine the score as it plays. funny isnt it

[scott13]

what i do is listen to the music(another artists rendition) via mp3 player or phone and imagine the score as it plays. funny isnt it

Have you tried one step further? Playing (well technically hearing) the piece in your head without the mp3 and seeing if you can visualise what your hands are doing at any particular point in the piece? This level of memory for a piece can be very helpful in performances as you tend to have the music so engrained into your mind that you don't have memory slips etc whilst performing.