Practicing on a 36 hour car ride?

[silyaznfoo]

Anybody have any tips? I have a long drive ahead of me (I'll be switching off from driving and sitting in the backseat) and a recital in about two weeks. I was wondering if there are anyways to practice whilst sitting on a car.

Thanks!!

[timothy42b]

iPod.

Seriously.  Listen to the piece you're working on, or the one you want to work on, until every note is memorized.  Listen to everything else by the same composer.  Follow along in the score if you want. 

[johnnybarkshop]

Hi!  35 hours of practice.  Wow!  Not really, but here is how you could split up your time:

Try these ideas.  1.  Think through one of your pieces with the music.
2.  Analyze and try and solve difficult problems.  Check on all fingerings and dynamics. The fact that you don't have to play on an actual piano means that it is possible to solve the problems more effectively.
3. Think through without the music.  Try and remember wherer the dynamics are and, also, imagine yourself just floating through the difficulties.
4.  Try some finger excercises: a. clench your fists tightly.  This will get the blood flowing.  Stretch the fingers in turn towards the palm; this will make the fingers more independent.  Stretch the individual fingers in other directions too.
5.  Before you get on to your other pieces have a proper break:listen to a different style of music, or the news on a radio programme - anything to get away from analysis.
6.  Use the same amount of time that you usually devote to your practising every day.  
7.  Make sure you eat, exercise, have good meals and toilet breaks.
8.  Let me know if a little of this helps; and good luck.
9.  I would really like to know what pieces are you doing.

  

[silyaznfoo]

Schubert 4 Hand Overture in F Major D675 (Secondo)
Bach Prelude in F Minor (Book 2)
Bach Fugue in C# Minor (Book 1)
Chopin Scherzo #2

Thanks for the ideas!

[justharmony]

All good suggestions I think.  I have found it sometimes very helpful to sit with a score and focus intensely on the piece and "practice" in my mind - think of how it actually FEELS to play what you are working on.  I have found this to be very effective at times.  If you THINK your muscles doing something, it's almost as if they really ARE doing it.

Good luck!