I try to remember WHY I am practicing. For me personally, I am practicing in hopes of being chosen for a competition in 2006 (entering audition CD end of next year). While I don't necessarily get bored, I do at times get tired or even frustrated. I find that mixing up what I play helps. For instance, if I've been working on something that is really challenging for me, playing something I think is "fun" will often offer a little break, which seems to refresh. I too, try to take short breaks away from the piano every so often, whether it is just to make a phone call, take a short walk, shower, whatever. If I'm really feeling frustrated and want to be inspired, I often will listen to a CD recording of the piece I'm trying to learn by a pianist I feel plays it well. Or watch a video of it being performed. Hearing someone else play a piece well, that
I, want to play well, is possibly one of my best tricks I use to motivate myself.
Keeping my goal in mind of what I want to accomplish by practicing also helps...as well as different types of practice, HT, HS...with/without metranome, start to finish, isolated measures, faster, slower. If I'm using the Clavinova at the time, sometimes I'll change the instrument sounds, just to hear the piece as if it were being played
by strings, percussion, choir, harpsichord, trumpet, etc. LOL.....that's pretty fun! Then back to serious practice. I don't think it's worth it if your not having fun. Yeah, it can be alot of work, but don't think I've ever been bored, just frustrated.
Have fun!
S
