If Kissin missed one week of practice

[immortalbeloved]

 . . . what would happen?

My teacher said if he even missed five he would suffer. Now, of course, Kissin has to fly to get so some countries, so surely he has missed a few days, but I am interested in the question.

This topic emerged after Easter break and I noted how rusty I felt not having practiced much. And so my teacher and I began discussing this topic and she mentioned to me how the professional concert pianist cannot even afford to miss less than a few days.

I wonder what happens to Kissin when he does miss a few days.

[pencilart3]

Why Evgeny specifically?

[stevensk]

"If Kissin missed one week of practice"

-He would still be better than me. -Slightly better

[adodd81802]

.

[timothy42b]

https://www.violinman.com/Violin_Family/performer/Violinist/kreisler/fritz_kreisler.htm

"I have worked a great deal in my life, but have always found that too

large an amount of purely technico-musical work fatigued me and reacted

unfavorably on my imagination. As a rule I only practice enough to keep

my fingers in trim; the nervous strain is such that doing more is out of

the question. And for a concert-violinist when on tour, playing every

day, the technical question is not absorbing. Far more important is it

for him to keep himself mentally and physically fresh and in the right

mood for his work. For myself I have to enjoy whatever I play or I

cannot play it. And it has often done me more good to dip my finger-tips

in hot water for a few seconds before stepping out on the platform than

to spend a couple of hours practicing. .

[timothy42b]

Or Heifetz:

He laughed when I put forward the theory that he worked many hours a day, perhaps as many as six or eight? "No," he said, "I do not think I could ever have made any progress if I had practiced six hours a day. In the first place I have never believed in practicing too much--it is just as bad as practicing too little! And then there are so many other things I like to do. I am fond of reading and I like sport: tennis, golf, bicycle riding, boating, swimming, etc. Often when I am supposed to be practicing hard I am out with my camera, taking pictures; for I have become what is known as a 'camera fiend.' And just now I have a new car, which I have learned to drive, and which takes up a good deal of my time. I have never believed in grinding. In fact I think that if one has to work very hard to get his piece, it will show in the execution. To interpret music properly, it is necessary to eliminate mechanical difficulty; the audience should not feel the struggle of the artist with what are considered hard passages. I hardly ever practice more than three hours a day on an average, and besides, I keep my Sunday when I do not play at all, and sometimes I make an extra holiday. As to six or seven hours a day, I would not have been able to stand it at all."

I'm trying to find the quote from the violinist who takes every summer off, and then starts from scratch at fundamentals.  I thought it was Heifetz or Stern but haven't found it.

[rachmaninoff_forever]

If he missed a week he would still be too good for me to give a *** about the difference of one week off of practice lol

[briansaddleback]

Who cares if Kissin missed a week a whole month or even a whole year he'll still kick your behind go practice and worry about yourself.

[immortalbeloved]

LOL---I KNOW!

I am just curious about the human body and greatness (of others!).

[iansinclair]

Wasn't it Rubinstein who said that if he missed a day, he noticed; if he missed two days, his family noticed -- and if he missed three the whole world knew?

On the other hand, I sometimes find that not practicing a piece I've been having trouble with for a few days results in great improvement when I do come back to it, so... who knows?

[mjames]

Wasn't it Rubinstein who said that if he missed a day, he noticed; if he missed two days, his family noticed -- and if he missed three the whole world knew?

This is a common mindset for super-efficient and self-critical people! I very much doubt it is the truth, just Rubinstein (despite his greatness) being a little bit insecure. I really doubt that any harm can come from not a practicing an entire week or a summer vacation lol. Us pianists are so neurotic 

[bronnestam]

This is a common mindset for super-efficient and self-critical people! I very much doubt it is the truth, just Rubinstein (despite his greatness) being a little bit insecure. I really doubt that any harm can come from not a practicing an entire week or a summer vacation lol. Us pianists are so neurotic 

It was not Rubinstein who said it. I don't remember who it was, but it wasn't him at least.

I have often been forced to take breaks in my piano playing, due to my work and other activities, as I am an amateur player. Then I usually need a day or two to get back on track, but I also usually find that many things have matured quite a lot during the absent time. I got a muscle inflammation some years ago, due to over-enthusiastic practicing. (I was a rebounder who just had picked up piano playing again after decades of piano hibernation.) I tried every trick under the sun, including "one week of resting". Nothing helped, the pain just increased. I was really desperate for a while.

Then summer came. It was a hot summer. For over a month I did not practice at all, because it was too hot to do so. Well, it was nearly two months. When I picked up piano playing again in late August, I feared that I had to start all over again. Oh no. I was fiddling a bit for some days, then I found that I played better than before, and the pain was gone.

Conclusion: even a piano player needs a vacation sometimes.  There are many romantic myths around pianists, and the "you need to practice for 10 hours every day from the age of 3" is certainly one of the worst. No, you are a normal human being and you need to live a normal life. Even God rested on the 7th day, right?

[reiyza]

This is a common mindset for super-efficient and self-critical people! I very much doubt it is the truth, just Rubinstein (despite his greatness) being a little bit insecure. I really doubt that any harm can come from not a practicing an entire week or a summer vacation lol. Us pianists are so neurotic 

I think it's different for each of us. I got sick earlier this april. It was about a week of almost no touching the piano. Then I felt better, I could't even play any piece decently.

Oh but I just remembered, I'm a beginner. Not a touring professional.

[rmbarbosa]

A friend of mine is a great harpsichordist.
Last year, she decided to stop along 6 months and go to a third world country, in a help mission.
When she returned she played one preludium and fugue of Bach without any loss of technique.
So, I dont believe that 5 days can make such loss...

[briansaddleback]

One thing for sure if Kissin missed one week of practice,

Is that he should definitely take opportunity during one of those days to get a haircut.

[bernadette60614]

I think if Kissin missed one week of practice, when he resumed he would still be Kissin.

[visitor]

[briansaddleback]

I would mind missing a week of Kissin.

[kuska]

If Kissin missed one week of practice he should try hitting once again.

[lostinidlewonder]

He'd probably play with more emotions and less machine like?

[briansaddleback]

If kissin missed a week of practice he should take an opportunity to dry clean that white tux he has.

 Um , it is getting a little , let say, off-white , these days.

[landorrano]

Even God rested on the 7th day, right?

Yes, but He had a great pension plan.

[briansaddleback]

God went to the beach that day. He laid out. Got a tan or burnt a bit. Drank a mojito.