What do you dislike about practicing? [Bob project]

[Bob]

... and is there any way to overcome or deal with that?

I don't like the amount of time it takes, but I know there is no other way and I do like the results of practicing.

I don't like working on little spots of a piece.  I'd rather just play through the whole piece, but I know I will never be able to play the piece unless I work out the glitches.

I'm don't like to even sit down and practice when I'm tired and exhuasted.  I haven't gotten over this one.  It's still a huge effort just to sit down at the piano some days when I'm wiped out.  I still have a mental block -- I'm tired.  I feel strained just sitting.  My mind is zoned out.  There's a bunch of stuff to move off the piano before I can actually play or the chair needs a little adjustment before I sit down and I should fix the piano light, and the piece is challenging and I probably am not going to do any better on it than I have with previous material unless I really really push it but I can't possibly have that kind of energy now, and I probably don't have enough time to finish this piece now - It will take many, many months.... all this adds up and I was just thinking how much effort and anguish it would be if I just tried forcing myself to sit at the piano for one minute in times like that -- Not playing, just sitting.  What a mental block!  I hate that!   That's one thing I really dislike about practicing.

What about you?  Anything you don't liike?  Have you discovered any ways to cope?

[Alde]

For me, it's waiting for a piece to get faster.  Like when you start a prelude and fugue, the fugue takes forever before it starts to pick up some tempo.  I also get frustrated with some of the Chopin Etudes - those marked tempos seem almost impossible.

[jazzyprof]

Dislike practicing?  Heavens, no.  Practicing is the most fun thing I do.  I can't wait to get home in the evenings to sit at the piano and practice.  The nice thing about practicing is that you can actually feel yourself getting better.  You labor on a small section of a piece for several days, even weeks, and then one day all of a sudden, you find yourself playing it correctly and at speed.  It is such a thrill. 

[tocca]

I don't like working on little spots of a piece.  I'd rather just play through the whole piece, but I know I will never be able to play the piece unless I work out the glitches.

I was like that when younger. I found it very taxing to sit and repeat a small part time after time.
But today i really like practising small bits, parts that are hard. You see much faster result that way, take a small enough part and you can see a huge difference after just fifteen-twenty minutes of practise.

It's very rewarding going from not beeing able to play anywhere near tempo, then practising just one or two bars slowly for half an hour and then suddenly you can play that part in tempo!

[m]

What do you dislike about practicing?

The idea itself.

[anda]

i used to hate practicing - and that lasted years! but one day, i changed my teacher, and the new one taught me how to practice. now i love practicing.

the point is: if you hate it, perhaps your methods are not the best ones for you. try different methods, read some books about practicing, visit other teachers, but try and find how to enjoy practicing. because the main problem with hating piano practice is not that you have to do it in spite of your hate, but that your practice definitely isn't as lucrative as it could be. imo (and based on personal experience), you need to find out how enjoyable it can be to work on a passage or how relaxing it can be to simply play slowly when you're exhausted, in order to really get a result off your practice.

best luck

[Sketchee]

I like practicing most of all piano activities.  The reward of continually solving problems, getting to apply solutions that I've done before, making music.  I'm my own best audience and worst critic.  I don't know how people get anything done if they don't like practicing at all since it's such a large part of playing piano.  I usually don't even think of it as practicing;  I just want to get something to sound like my interpretation and then I just do what needs to be done.

The thing I dislike about practicing most is probably ... I really can't think of anything the the moment.  There's probably something that I'll think of later though

[Tash]

i like practicing, it'd suck if you didn't. however i don't like the fact that after about 2hrs my concentration is out the window and my upper back muscles are sore. in actual practice it's just frustrating sometimes when things don't work and you're like WORK DAMMIT. hmmm but nothing really major...

[offenbach]

I do not dislike anything about practicing. However, there are times I may not be as pleased as others with what I've accomplished during practice time. Practicing is a part of my life as much as eating dinner, brushing teeth, making bed, etc. I have always enjoyed it, perhaps thats why I find it so easy to do each day.

O

[jazzyprof]

i like practicing, it'd suck if you didn't. however i don't like the fact that after about 2hrs my concentration is out the window and my upper back muscles are sore.

You're not practicing for 2 solid hours at a stretch are you?  You should take frequent ice-cream breaks .  After every 20 minutes or so.  This way you'll maintain your concentration and you won't get so sore.

[jlh]

That's true... there's a reason why TV sitcoms are only 30 minutes.

Also, taking frequent breaks let's your hands recooperate so the chance of injury is less.

[nick]

If you are that exhausted when you sit down to practice, maybe it is not the practicing that is the problem. Too much on your plate? Not enough time for relaxation?

Nick

[hodi]

when i practice for 2 hours and nothing improves, i'm getting really frustrated.

[JK]

Having to stop, not being able to do it every hour of the day! Seriously not a lot, there is no pressure in practice, and you have as much time as you need to explore the pieces that you are playing, rather than just playing them aimlessly over and over and not actually developing any understanding of it. Practicing is kinda like the beginning part of a relationship as it's when you get to really know the music and once you begin to understand what its about then thats when you start to feel comfortable playing as it makes sense, its no longer just notes. In short I generally love practicing, I think its fascinating to try and discover what a composer is trying to say and the key to playing well in concert is in practice, in my opinion.

[Bob]

If you are that exhausted when you sit down to practice, maybe it is not the practicing that is the problem. Too much on your plate? Not enough time for relaxation?

Nick

Yes, if I could get rid of everything else, then practicing would be heaven.

Too much on my plate?  Yes, but that's the way it is.  I can't figure out an easier way.

Not enough time for relaxation?  Definitely not.  I'm not sure I'd want to relax though.  It seems like I get into a "work mode" and just keep going and going and going and then flop down on the bed.  Relaxation would weaken my resolve.

I don't seem to make real progress unless I'm really focusing and pretty much scraping my nose on the grindstone.  I like the results, everything I get done, but the the moments in the process can be painful -- my mind is worn out, my body is sore, my emotions are blank or sad or angry or fiercely determined.  And time flies by.  I'm not sure if this is good or bad.  There doesn't seem to be an inbetween for making progress.

Any thoughts on this?

[jazzyprof]

Take up yoga or meditation.

[quasimodo]

I hate thinking that my endless repetition of some short parts take to the nerves of people that hear me practicing.

But the practicing in itself is OK for me, as far as I'm sure there will be a result.

[Sketchee]

The thing I dislike about practicing most is probably ... I really can't think of anything the the moment.  There's probably something that I'll think of later though

I knew after I read other people's responses I'd think of something!  I often don't like other people hearing my practicing.  It's destracting a lot of times because I start imagining what they're thinking (good or bad!) instead of completely concentrating on the piece.  I've been practicing not getting so destracted though.

[YeShallBeGods]

I hate thinking that my endless repetition of some short parts take to the nerves of people that hear me practicing.

That's my only problem as well--for some difficult passages, it takes me days or weeks of slow practice to work them out and bring them up to speed; I've been doing that the past two weeks for a passage in a Chopin Scherzo and I think it's enough to drive anyone nuts... very dissonant at times, tons of accidentals, and it needs to go blazingly fast... it's progressing, but I just feel bad for the people that have to listen to it