what practice routines can you suggest when there are a number of pieces?

[karenvcruz]

I am going to have my recital in November.  My teacher got so excited aout my progress so I now realize that I have quite a bit of a repertoire. Usually, when you have, say, more than 5 relatively intermediate and advanced pieces, what is the best eay to study them so that the practice becomes quality based?

Do you concentrate on one page per day for all the pieces? or Do you take at least a whole segment (say, 1st movement of a sonata first) for a week and then move on? Or do you just focus on at most two pieces per day, and spread the other pieces across the week?

Would appreciate tips from the seasoned as well as the struggling types like me.  What works well for you? and thanks so much in advance.

[dima_76557]

What works well for you?

For the "grounding", I take the pieces by storm. This means page by page until they are more or less ready to be worked on artistically. Any mechanical "difficulties" that hamper the flow are dealt with without delay with zero tolerance in terms of hesitation etc. I go on doing this (on that same first day) just as long as it takes because I have no time to put things on the backburner in this respect.

Then comes the hard work - working on the artistic image, and for this I take as much time as the pieces require. Sometimes one page only in one session, sometimes even one or two bars only. It depends on the piece. Most of my work in this stage is s-u-p-e-r-s-l-o-w practice with focus on touch and tone, nothing like a magic "interpretation" or anything. The music usually plays itself rather well without artificial tricks if you do what you have to do.

[iansinclair]

Dima's suggestions are excellent.  I would add, though, that once I have a good handful of pieces to work with, I will pick one or two a day to really beat on -- artistic, technical traps, whatever -- and do it.  However... I try to keep a goodly repertoire at least functional at all times (currently only eight pieces to playable to an audience quality, but that's enough!) and to do this, I make sure that each of them gets played at least every other day, and if anything sticky show up (it does) that piece goes on the beat on it list.  I find that if I don't do this, anything that wasn't rock solid tends to get a bit messy.

Also -- I try very hard to vary the sequence in which I work on pieces unless there is a specific reason for a specific sequence.

[awesom_o]

Most of my work in this stage is s-u-p-e-r-s-l-o-w practice with focus on touch and tone, nothing like a magic "interpretation" or anything. The music usually plays itself rather well without artificial tricks if you do what you have to do.

This is sound advice.

[karenvcruz]

hello, dima and iansinclair ... i showed your tips to my teacher and she definitely agrees with both of you ... now, because i showed her what I have been learning from the posts here in pianostreet, she opted to sign up and become a member.

But thanks so much for the advice. Out of curiosity, are both of you concert pianists? Your posts and tips here have truly given me wonderful advice. It's ok .... I won't ask your names .. it is just that whenever i read your posts, I notice that your insights are high calibre.

[dima_76557]

Out of curiosity, are both of you concert pianists? Your posts and tips here have truly given me wonderful advice. It's ok .... I won't ask your names .. it is just that whenever i read your posts, I notice that your insights are high calibre.

Thank you for your kind words.
To answer your question: No, I am not a concert pianist (yet). I am just a student in re-training after having had really severe performance trouble, and can merely echo what my performance coach/musical therapist has taught me, without fully understanding (yet) the deeper sense behind all that wisdom.

[iansinclair]

Nor am I, Karen, but thank you!  I am a retired minister of music, working for the last five years since retirement to retrain myself as an at least vaguely respectable pianist.  Getting there...

[huskermaestro]

One more idea that I think might be helpful and/or interesting:  If I'm working on a program that covers several periods, I'll structure my practice chronologically throughout the week.  For example, I might focus on the Baroque piece(s) Monday, Classical Tuesday/Wednesday (I tend to play lots of Classics), Romantic Thursday/Friday, and the contemporary piece(s) on Saturday.  This schedule can be adjusted as needed for each program, but it at least gives me a bit of perspective.  On the days when I'm not "focusing" on a particular piece, I'll still run through one or two of the others to maintain them.

Obviously this all happens after the basic stage of learning notes/rhythms/etc...this is for artistic crafting and polishing in preparation for a performance.

[karenvcruz]

You're welcome, dima and iansinclair.  I am quite new here in pianostreet and everyday when i read posts, I always look for your contributions in the different threads because I know I will always get something that are wisdom-filled. 

And you know what... I am applying what you advised when I do my practice without my teacher and they really work. i call it start "small but sure" and  realize I have more quality in my learning of a piece rather than how I used to do it.   I like the results of my labors.  Thanks so much again.

Hunkermaestro, I find your approach quite interesting, and indeed, it does give perspective.  I tried it, but more on composers ... and my teacher tried it in my lessons when I showed here your post.  we took all Chopin pieces in one lesson.  Then in the next lesson, we concentrated on Mozart,  and then in the next, Debussy ... and so in.  And then there is a day we devote to all the pieces.  We believed we were more organized in our efforts.  I really appreciate your advice. Thank you so much.

[lorcar]

For the "grounding", I take the pieces by storm. This means page by page until they are more or less ready to be worked on artistically. Any mechanical "difficulties" that hamper the flow are dealt with without delay with zero tolerance in terms of hesitation etc. I go on doing this (on that same first day) just as long as it takes 

does this mean you might spend days practicing one piece only and foregoing all other pieces?

[pianoman53]

Spend time on mental practicing as well. Read the score in your head, and sing the music. The technical aspect of playing is only the very beginning, and the musical part shouldn't stop just because you're not at the piano anymore...

[dima_76557]

does this mean you might spend days practicing one piece only and foregoing all other pieces?

No. Not at the stage you quoted. If I cannot get the basics (the notes, the mechanics and all requirements in terms of tempo) of a piece ready within a couple of hours, then the game is not worth the candle, and I will rather put such a piece aside and take something else.

The other stage, though, (working slowly on touch and tone as soon as I know my pieces thoroughly) is different. I may indeed work the whole day on part of 1 piece only, and leave the rest of my repertoire alone.

[pianoman53]

No. Not at the stage you quoted. If I cannot get the basics (the notes, the mechanics and all requirements in terms of tempo) of a piece ready within a couple of hours, then the game is not worth the candle, and I will rather put such a piece aside and take something else.

The other stage, though, (working slowly on touch and tone as soon as I know my pieces thoroughly) is different. I may indeed work the whole day on part of 1 piece only, and leave the rest of my repertoire alone.

So how do you work on things like, say, the dante sonata or Beethoven op 110/101? Do you manage to play them through, in a good tempo, a few hours after your first look?

[dima_76557]

So how do you work on things like, say, the dante sonata or Beethoven op 110/101? Do you manage to play them through, in a good tempo, a few hours after your first look?

The "grounding" (first layer of paint) as I called it above, yes. That is the benefit for me personally of developing the mechanics/motorics of piano technique not per each piece, but separately, in special books on technical formulas, which are tranposed to all keys and practised both blindfolded and/or on my silent keyboard. Afterwards, you simply apply what you already have in your bag of tricks, and you can then immediately start working on true technique (expression, tone, touch, etc.) in works of art.

[pianoman53]

The "grounding" (first layer of paint) as I called it above, yes. That is the benefit for me personally of developing the mechanics/motorics of piano technique not per each piece, but separately, in special books on technical formulas,

And loads and loads of Bach, I assume?

[dima_76557]

And loads and loads of Bach, I assume?

Sure! Some of it also in different keys, by the way. Two-part inventions in octaves, and similar silly games.

P.S.: I have a problem with him. It seems like my spiritual relationship with that composer is so intimate, shaky or whatever, that I cannot play for anybody else without spoiling at least something. While I'm alone at home, nothing of the kind happens.