How to practice?

[onwan]

Every time when I practice more than usual, It's only worse. I just don't know how to practice methodically because I don't have any progress when I practice longer. I mean, I practice about 1hour usual and the longer playing is about 3-4 hours. It's like just shitty because the more is the less. And I'd like to progress more than only 1-hour-practise. Do you know what I mean? What could I do to be better?
PS: Please, forgive me my english.

[outin]

Have you considered that your concentration level simply drops too much with prolonged practice? That's what happens to me unless I have enough different things to practice on. Practice without concentration is mostly useless. I don't know if some people can benefit from mindless drilling, but I cannot.

[gozo490]

i find after the one hour mark its time for a break. 15-20 mins.  come back fresh minded(ish) and rinse repeat. the first hour is mostly warm up and technique. then my exam pieces. after that its open season. i play through my repetoire (i think that's how it's spelt) and then, if i mess up, i go back and focus on a mistake, this is the second hour ish.

another break.

then new peices which i cant play all the way though yet, including 1-2 that are completely out of my league for when im winding down, this is coupled with sight reading.

if i play more than 3 hours there is often a long break here like + 1 hour, i then come back and do the same again.

I personally find if im learning a new peice, i play that before i go to bed. this promotes retention as i have read that short term memory is stored before you sleep (it has worked well for me).

this work,rest and repeat  method works well for me when i want to play for a long time. your mind can only focus for so long before it eventually starts daydreaming about your favourite beach or what you want to do later, if my concentration trails, its break time.

Also resting helps me manage an injury i have sustained easily.

this is a rough breakdown of how my time would be spent. it depends on your goals and stuff but i can see why 3-4 hours on the trot would become detrimental.

i hope this helps a little, it works for me . I am by no means a master in practice so take it with a pinch of salt

kind Regards

[hfmadopter]

Practising piano is like any other exercise, it uses up energy and requires breaks and fuel. I like to stop at about 20-30 minute intervals. To refuel think energy foods, like white raisins for instance. We keep cherry tomatoes in the house, whole grain chips or Triscuits for instance. Healthy foods not candy and junk food. You would be amazed what a short break of five minutes and half dozen raisins and a couple of whole grain crackers will do to reboot your system. Drink water, diet ginger ale or gatorade in the summer if its warm in the house. Then resume practise. Stay completely away from alcohol when practising.

That said, unless I'm practicing a multi piece performance ( I still do these little performances for family and friends) I find one to two hours of practise a day enough to gain on a piece of music or two. Leaves me time for a good bike ride, where I bring along the same raisins and water ! If I have some kind of little family performace coming up then I do the three to four hours on weekends and 2- 3 hours during the week in the afternoon to evenings for the couple of weeks prior to the event.  It doesn't have to be all those hours at once. Break it up into multi sessions. On weekends I might practise early in the morining. Do some chores errands etc, go to lunch, take a bike ride, then practise again in the late afternoon. Have supper, then put an hour in before bed time.

 Both your body and mind needs time to absorb and reboot. Often the best results happen after an overnight rest, a morning bowl of oatmeal and mug of coffee. So you practised extra hard yesterday, the results show up today or maybe tomorrow ( I'm getting older now, it coulld be next week) !