Adult Beginners: What is your practice routine?

[bernadette60614]

This is a post for adult beginners, who may have played piano as children, but have resumed playing as adults (or anyone else who would like to join in!)

What is your practice routine?

When do you find time to practice?

Do you have a teacher?

I thought it would be fun and helpful to interact with others who have resumed piano in adulthood. 

As for me, I'm 46, with an 11 year old son, full-time job, and a husband who loves music.

[outin]

Well, I think I'm exactly the same age. Had a completely absence from the piano for almost 30 years, now back and don't find it any easier, but much more interesting. I normally practice in the morning if I can get out of bed in time (lately it's been rare) and after work unless it's too late. On the weekends I practice several hours in 2-3 sessions. Practicing daytime is so much more efficient, I wish I was retired already

I don't have a practice routine. If I feel like it I start with scales and arpeggios, but mostly I just get right into my pieces. Work different ways depending on my mood...

I do have a teacher.

[brogers70]

I started from scratch at age 40 (I'm 54 now). I had played classical guitar and sung, but had no experience with the piano.

When I started I had no teacher and so I foolishly believed the Preface to Hanon, and started playing Hanon like mad. I'd alternate days between doing all of Part I of Hanon plus the major scales and arpeggios and Part II of Hanon and all the minor scales and arpeggios. I was working full time, so I practiced in the evenings about 1 1/2 hours, and it drove my wife and kids nuts (eventually I got a digital piano so I could use the headphones and spare them the pain). I also started working on two part inventions, some Scarlatti sonatas and some easy Schumann. I also scanned Beethoven Sonatas and the Well-Tempered Clavier for slow pieces.

Then after a few years I read Fundamentals of Piano Practice (C.C. Chang), and decided to ditch Hanon and just work on pieces. A lot of the suggestions in that book were useful to me, a lot of hands separate practice, thinking of notes in handfuls (parallel sets), finishing the daily work on each piece by playing through very slowly. My technique improved quite a bit, I lost my fear of "Allegro" and I got to the point where I could play a bunch of Mozart Sonatas, Schubert Impromptus, and some of the easier Preludes and Fugues from WTC. That went on for maybe 8 years. It was fun, but I never found a teacher who did more than say "Oops, you made some mistakes in there, better work on that  bit."

Then over the past 3 years I've had two very good teachers who have been working on the basic technical things like posture, arm weight, tone production, and all that. That has helped a lot. Also, I retired and can practice 3-4 hours/ day, which is a wonderful luxury.

So, to answer your questions:

My practice routine now is to do scales and arpeggios in one major and one minor key and work around the circle of fifths changing keys every two days. So I get through the whole circle of fifths every 3 1/2 weeks. Since my teacher always has some suggestions about general technique, I use the scales and arps as a substrate to try out the ideas. Then I work on Alberti bass patterns for the LH and do the trill exercises from Hanon. That takes me 30-40 minutes.

Then I work on pieces. I start hands separate and work until I can play each hand quite fast (as you do). I also play the new pieces for my teacher right away; I don't aim to impress her, but letting her see how I am starting to work lets her correct any early problems that might get engrained if I waited until I felt ready to perform the piece for her. She'll usually have lots of suggestions for better motions to make the parts easier or to produce better sound, so that gives me specific things to work on. I might spend 20-30 minutes on a given piece, and I always break it down into bits small enough that I feel like I've accomplished something in that time (as you do, too, I think).

For pieces that are farther along, where I've got them memorized, I might spend 20-30 minutes trying to get a sound I like on just a few bars. So this week, for example, I worked a lot on the first six notes of Brahms Intermezzo 117/3, triple octaves, trying to get the voicing, volume, and phrasing the way I like them, and figuring that if I solve that, the solution will spread throughout the rest of the piece.

I'm working on six pieces at the moment, so that takes me to 3-4 hours most days, but if I had less time I'd use the same approach, just working on fewer pieces.

I try not to get too routine - for example I don't work through pieces in chronological order, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, everyday. If I'm really interested in one piece or the teacher made an interesting suggestion, I might break the routine and spend a couple of hours working on just one piece.

Between several pieces and the technical stuff, there's enough variety that I always find it interesting and enjoyable. If you love it, even as an adult beginner you can get to the point where you can play great, serious music. It's definitely worth the struggle.

Bill

[crownrib]

What is your practice routine?

3+ hours almost every morning.  I start around 6am, end around noon.  Breaks between 30min stretches.  Many days end up being 1-2 hours, due to interruptions.

Do you have a teacher?

No.  I was taught weekly from age 6-12, 16-17.  At that time I learned the basic ideas and theory.  Nowadays I have read many books on piano and theory and I practice theory daily.

I'm 46 as well, playing again for almost 3 years after about 30 years away.  I began doing about 10 minutes every morning and wanting a repertoire of about 6 relatively simple pieces.  After 6 months I was upping it to 30 minutes a day and wanting 9 or 10 pieces.  Around 9 months I got a proper digital keyboard and had 7 pieces memorized with a desired repertoire of 12.  After a year I was doing an hour every day.  At 2 years I was doing 2 hours/day and had about 16 memorized with a repertoire of 35 desired.  At 2.5 years I purchased an old grand piano and played 3 hours/day with a desired repertoire of 75 pieces.  Almost 3 years and I have a repertoire desire of 86 pieces.  I have 23 memorized and play 47 daily with 7 forms of scales and theory practice included.

It grows on you.  I'm trying to maintain the 3-hour practice level and maybe go up to 4 hours.  That should be maximum for the next 3 years.  In terms of the 10,000 hour rule, I am just above 2000 hours.  I'd like to have 4,000 hours behind me by 2015, and maybe I can dedicate a couple years later this decade, where I play 8+ hours every day 7 days a week.  We'll see.

The coordination is tough.  I think anything you play in the first 4000 hours merely gets you used to actually playing a keyboard.  Until someone has about that much playing time behind them, they are probably struggling with fluidity at the keys.  There is SO much to learn that I can see 10,000 hours being a minimum for getting mastery over the keyboard and how to make music with panache.

[cagal]

I started back 2 years ago after 25 year absence and have a teacher.  I was hoping to do my last exam by now but have to keep delaying due to work/home constraints - latest is my poor DH is having migraines and its my busy time at work until end of April so virtually no practicing right now   But I will do in June no matter what.  I otherwise would  practice 2+ hours a day

[escott]

I've been playing a bit over a year (now age 60) with no prior piano experience -- I have been a serious classical string player for some time, but it doesn't transfer very well.  I have worked with a very good teacher since I started, but progress has been slower than I'd like.

I practice on average 1-1/2 hours per night weekdays (I work during the day) and longer on weekends.

I don't have what Chang or anyone else would call a great practice routine, but I'm happy with it.  I begin with two-hand scales, parallel motion, through all the major and some minor keys.  That may take 10 minutes or less on average.

Then I play from memory the pieces (short, mostly "classical" as opposed to popular) on which my teacher has declared me "graduated."  That probably takes 20-25 minutes -- longer if I need to massage a glitch in one of the pieces.

The rest of the time I spread across either pieces on which I've made some progress but haven't yet "passed" and newer repertoire more recently placed in the development pipeline.  If I don't have something pretty new in the pipeline -- where I'm still practicing reading it -- I'll also do some sight-reading (not more than 10 minutes).

I think some might say I spend too much time playing established repertoire early in my practice sessions, but for me it does two things.  First, it allows me to develop the musicality of pieces I've already mastered technically, but not necessarily musically.  Second, it's a morale booster for this adult beginner to know that there really are a number of pieces that I've mastered, that I can play from memory, and that sound like real music.  It helps keep me motivated!

Good luck to you.

[bronnestam]

Same story as many others here. I played the piano as a teenager but I was a lazy student the last years, I'm afraid. I tried to "keep it alive" during the years after that, but practically nothing happened and I felt terribly stuck. About 1½ year ago, at the age of 45, I decided to give it a last, serious shot as I had made friends with a very famous pianist and got inspired by him.

Last fall I also read the book by Chang and got some totally new perspectives on practicing and now I don't find it difficult to practice any longer ... my present daily dose is 1-2 hours divided on several sessions a day. I work from home as a freelance translator so I practice whenever it is convenient for me, but I definitely prefer day-time when the children are at school and I don't get disturbed.

After earlier mistakes in my practicing routines I am now very focused on keeping motivation and joy up, so I play whatever I want - often I do a mental warm-up in my head and ponder about the pieces for a while, plan my upcoming practice session, before I really go to the piano to start playing. After a while, when I need to relax in my learning, I play scales and similar exercises. Before I leave the piano - even if I just have played for 10 minutes - I do a quick summary in my head on what I just learned. And I try to remember the advice from Chang to end every session by playing very slowly.

These little mental tricks are most essential to me as I know perfectly well what happens without them.

I really wish I could find a good teacher but there is none in my neighbourhood. Those who are, just offer lessons to school children.    What I think I need the most right now, is someone who helps me with ergonomy and relaxation exercises, as my daily practice time mostly is restricted by pure muscular fatigue! I have overcome the motivation problem but now I've got this one instead. Bad experience has taught me not to ignore muscle pain and fatigue ... but it is a bit frustrating when "spirit is willing but flesh is weak". 

... and some days ago, my pianist friend recommended me some Hanon exercises as a help ... oh dear, oh dear. 

[gozo490]

I had started on my own, self taught for around 6 months then i was taught by a freind, for about 6 months and now i have a full on teacher which i was reffered to by said freind.

after a year and 6 months progress has been good.

I used to practice 3 to 8 hours a day. full time job, no kids, no other half (good times)

i still practice ALOT.

around 3 hours on a working day.

One thing i will mention though, is Hanon contributed to an injury im currently strugglign with (i am recovering slowly but surely) which is affectively RSI.

You MUST  be careful of practicing using poor technique when it comes to Hanon excercises. that is my concern i thought id warn you. i find it best to practice them in moderation. i will play 1-15 once a week. just to keep them but i wont play at a savage speed. instead i will use it to identify tension in my body (using the cause as a remedy ). This i found by myself. it may be different for others but there has been many questions about the profits of playing hanon repeatedly. Generally 20 minutes in one session, once per week is my approach as the injury i sustained worries me (Right 5 tendon and joint).

I hope this helps. im not saying its the devil, but i am saying be careful

Kind Regards

[landru]

It is great to see so many older people getting so much out of the piano! I am 50, taking lessons for the last 5 years after a lifetime of self-teaching (read: a lifetime of self-imposed bad habits)

What I loved seeing through reading through the responses is the value that Chang's book has had on a certain kind of student - those who are passionate about playing, are analytical about how to go about it, and may have had bad practice habits. If I brought up Chang to my teacher, I am sure she would have nothing good to say about it. But, I learned more about how to shape a practice session than I ever had with her!

My practice is purely the pieces I am working on. My teacher used to work with exercises with me (Czerny, sometimes Hanon) but we found out that I am not the kind of person who does well at them - I could be "working" at a Czerny etude for weeks and it would still be mediocre (or even less than mediocre!), while I could have the same etude pattern in a Mozart, Beethoven or Scarlatti piece and have it mastered in half the time!

I am not a memorizer and I find that the joy for me is in playing new pieces - that is my genetic make up I'm sure, I always try new things at restaurants rather than revisit something I already had. I don't have any need to impress anyone by sitting down at the piano and playing a full piece. This is where I think my piano teacher misunderstands me - I think she must have gotten a lot of adult students whose purpose was outwardly to impress and even after 5 years still doesn't quite get it that I play for myself first and last!

As far as practicing, I usually do an hour every night, broken into half hour before dinner, half hour afterwards. And on the weekends half hours here and there, probably totaling 3 to 4 sessions each day if I'm at home.

[beathaven]

What is your practice routine?

I play the one piece I know from memory to a metronome to work on my rhythm.
Then I quickly do some scales to limber my fingers.
I pick through the piece I'm currently learning. I always have my iPad with a Youtube video of somebody else doing it to help me.
I do the scales again.

When do you find time to practice?

I'm in the lucky position to be able to do 1 x hour in the morning, another in the afternoon after lunch and an hour before bed.

Do you have a teacher?

No. I live in a foreign country and it's difficult to find English-speaking teachers. I'd like one but that's not possible at the moment.

As for me, I'm 46, with an 11 year old son, full-time job, and a husband who loves music.

29. I'm single and work a series of part-time jobs, hence having a lot of free time. I had lessons when I was very young - so young I can't remember any of it! I think my parents had high hopes for me. I hope that, despite my age and inexperience, one thing I can bring to the piano is a lifetime of non-stop listening to a massive wide range of music and a pretty solid work ethic. Who knows though - the piano is the toughest thing I've tried!