What is your day-to-day practise routine like?

[indianajo]

My cell phone cost $10+tax at Family Dollar and $8.33 a month for 20 minutes a month.  It doesn't make videos or sound recordings either.  The still pictures are *****y too.  The recordings made with Iphones sound so bad, I don't see the point of upgrading.
But having a cell phone beats walking 24 miles to the nearest pay phone if I break a hip or the bike breaks again in the country. I did the walk once in 7 hours for a 3rd bike tube, since I blew two tubes in five minutes out there.  **** ****ese imitation goods. 

[dcstudio]

I have made vids with my laptop, a Webcam, a hi 8, a go pro, and this android I have now. I borrowed the cameras. I have also had people email me the vids they take of my performances. Yes the sound on many isn't fantastic but I think it's cool to chronicle my playing. I have vids posted that go back ten years and I can see at a glance how my skills have evolved.

I know that some here have financial issues. (Cry me a river guys, I am a musician...and I just got divorced.).
Indianjo you find a way to go out and perform in spite of where you live as I recall and you don't solicit the forum with claims of news stories that need funding.

This isn't about creating a professional recording...it isn't even about having a perfect performance for the forum to enjoy.
In some cases it's important that claims be backed up by some kind of evidence.   That's all I am saying. There is a video about those history changing newsworthy claims so why not one demonstrating the often spoken of yet never heard ...piano skills.

[keypeg]

My teacher is in another country, so technology is a must.  I have a Logitech camera, which I think in the US would cost something like $75 as a one-time expense.  I found a small company on-line that sells parts you can put together to create a flexible stand https://snakeclamp.com/  That was my other expense.  This was an early experimental setup: https://www.dropbox.com/s/uf66tvysgjdc2pj/2016-02-15%2019.13.57.jpg?dl=0  The wooden thing it's sitting on is a wooden wine bottle holder somebody had thrown away.  
  For a while I put my videos on private Youtube channel, and that is for free.  In the meantime I discovered that people such as my teacher, friends, and fellow students can also see them if stored as a file in Dropbox.

I have never owned a smartphone.  It's a luxury and piece of magic I'm thinking of getting.  I have this old fashioned thing called a landline.  Can anyone actually produce anything decent video-wise with a smart phone?  I did start with an iPod before having the camera, and had a real struggle trying to get any kind of decent angle.  Maybe if you have someone holding it while you play.

[louispodesta]

My vids cost nothing to make or to upload. I don't find your argument valid or frankly, believable considering the amount of time you spend posting about your various causes here at PS.   You can set up a go fund me but you can't use a cell phone and make a short demonstration of your skill.? .    Please...

I don't own a cell phone.  I cannot afford it!  And, even if I did, I would still take the time to render a professional recording.

Further, I have lived most of my philosophical life by the written word, as most of us who have seriously studied music history.  Accordingly, I do not nor will I ever have to set forth proof of my analysis to any who posts here by some video, in order to establish its validity!

By your very assertion, you suggest in no uncertain terms that my argument is without basis and a fraud.

[keypeg]

The issue of posting recordings or being able to do so is immaterial in any case.  None of the members who chooses to answer about their practice routine should be expected to post videos of their actual playing.   But if someone thinks it's too expensive to do so, it makes sense to help them with that.  I have no idea why it came up in the first place.  The only way videos would be pertinent is if somebody chooses to illustrate how they practice, and thinks it is best done via video.  For a 1 or 2 hour practice session that might be quite a lengthy thing to watch.

[keypeg]

In regards to the two descriptions by Louis - thinking about them:

The first involved sight reading two concertos per day.  My immediate question to myself, and for myself was would I want to, and why would I want to?  I could not see anything that doing so would give me, knowing my present learning needs.  So this was not immediately useful to me.  I did grab a concerto or two off IMSLP to picture this concretely.  I'd get at the notes readily enough, because reading skills is a priority of my teacher's and I'm well taught - but I'm lacking technical skills.  I also think that concert pianists tend to work through their material, working out their interpretation and such.  Whether or not L can sight read these concertos matters less than whether this is useful for me to learn from.  It is useful to him for his needs and purposes.  If that is his daily routine, then it's his daily routine.  That's what we were asked.
Louis was asked about this, as to the "how":

Basically, it means that in order to read a particular score you develop the facility to get around/feel your way about the piano keyboard, WITHOUT LOOKING DOWN AND YOUR HANDS!

I was struck by the all-caps about the hands part.  Before coming to piano forums, I had no idea that many people orient themselves by looking at their hands.  Since then I've learned that this can become a real problem.  In the weird way I learned self-taught as a child, I looked at notation which I "heard" in solfege like a singer, and played what I heard.  I have a kind of "dyslexia" in the sense of orienting in visual space, the symmetry of the piano used to confuse my visually, so I never looked down.  I felt my way along by sound and touch.  But knowing that there are many people who are trapped in this hand-looking dependency, and guessing, Louis, that you were once trapped by it or it would not have been so significant - I can imagine that what helped you might help them.
It continues with:

And, this is to also effectuate in a relaxed fashion the anticipation of the next section of notes.

and then describes what kinds of things were done in order to achieve this.  If anyone reading the thread thinks they want to aim for similar things, then why not look at those things and consider them?  What's the harm.

For the second in regards to the new coach - I was not able to totally follow:

Unfortunately, I have nothing to offer but bad news for those of you who have just asked about my new coach.

You did state in your introduction to the new coach that:

However, her guidance has brought a new conciseness and discipline to my daily practice routine.

What I am picking up is that among the things she taught you, some automatically translate into what you have learned from Dr. Mark, and other things are in contradiction to what you learned from him - if I got that correct.  Or, along points 4 - 6, maybe what is being reflected is a multi-dimensional view.

I would find it hard to try to summarize what I am learning with the good teacher that I have, because that learning happens in real time and develops over many planes in a sense.  So I imagine that you have only been able to give a rough sketch.

[dcstudio]

By your very assertion, you suggest in no uncertain terms that my argument is without basis and a fraud.

You have posted a video with a very vague assertion about 19th century performance practices...you claim that they didn't play things as written. Your proof is a plethora of recordings made by the students of Clara Schumann as I recall.  That proves only that this small group did this and not that it was a worldwide standard practice taught by all teachers.  You seem to claim that written music meant something else then...but offer no explanation or supporting evidence beyond these recordings

You could also have left that camera running another 5 mins and recorded something you play


I suggest you post your playing because you continuously name coaches and teachers you have studied with .. you swear by their methods and yet you don't demonstrate what they have done for you personally.  Lest we not forget your solicitation of the forum and your constant and repeated offers to members to contact you by pm.

 You know I like you Louis...you brought Dr. Roberts words back to me from beyond the grave...he was a "fly by the seat of his pants kind of pianist.".  You have no idea how profound that statement is to me personally.

[lostinidlewonder]

In regards to the two descriptions by Louis - thinking about them:

The first involved sight reading two concertos per day.  My immediate question to myself, and for myself was would I want to, and why would I want to?

A practice methodology where 2 concertos are read a day, what the hell??? It is just so wrong my brain has exploded. Think of it logically at the end of the year you play some 700+ piano concertos, after 10 years that's 7,000 concertos are there even that many written? If you cycle through the same concertos then that is rather boring isn't it? So much better repertoire to develop sight reading skills. Doing concertos for piano solo practice seems illogical, unless you play along with the 2nd piano also and then record yourself. But Louis tries to make us believe he is so poor he can't record himself haha (yet he can use the internet, get piano lessons). He also has had so much training yet new teacher considers him beginner for some reason and that is the teacher fault. Sorry I shouldn't laugh but to me the story telling is too much. If you are highly trained it should be obvious to a teacher.

[keypeg]

A practice methodology where 2 concertos are read a day, what the hell??? ...

As I wrote in my post which you quoted, after " My immediate question to myself, and for myself was would I want to, and why would I want to?", it is not a thing that would work for me, and I couldn't see a reason to do it myself.  Louis probably has reasons why he does this, and reasons why it suits him, personally.  Some of the other posts did go toward practice goals in broad outline.

[keypeg]

Answering the OP's question: (Well, actually, when a person asks "what is your routine" followed by listing their routine, often they are asking "what do you think of my routine?"), but I'll answer literally.

What and how I practice is based on where I am in my own journey.  Advanced trained musicians such as LiW or dcStudio don't need to develop their skills - they already have them.  They are also not working with teachers who give them feedback, set goals for them, and may tell them how to work on them.  I was self-taught as a child, and so came back 35 years later with a plethora of poor physical habits, but "precocious" in other areas like looking at a score and pre-hearing it if it was diatonic.  My goal is largely to get at the physical playing (technique) and reverse the "junk" that I came in with; going after weak areas.  There are also musical goals set forth by my teacher: he does not dictate interpretation, but works with me.  All this is the framework for my practising.

What I practise differs from day to day.  I may spend a larger chunk of time on a technical thing, with or without the music on some days, or sketching out the framework of a piece that's being developed - there's never time to cover it all so it tends to cycle.  I have some basic intermediate pieces going, but the last piece I worked on was the Chopin Am Prelude.  This was brought up to the level I can reach atm: explored alternate distribution of fingering: I worked on keeping it tension-free.  Trying to bring out the countermelody in the LH led to some slippage of control in the RH melody which my teacher pointed out - then it was back to looking at the physical playing to solve that, as ability to hear was ruled out by testing.

That's about as close as I can bring it, because the only "routine" is that of going toward those kinds of goals, and what I've been told.

In regards to the OP that started this thread:

Do you do scales, or exercises before working on your pieces? Or do you some sort of finger stretching before mentally playing and memorizing the pieces that are within your level, and finish off with a bang by playing your favorite piece (which is way beyond your current level)?

Mine goes something like this: (comments welcome)
1.) Piano Yoga (just the finger stretching part, I discarded the rest due to laziness and lack of time) as endorsed by GeniA
2.) Mental practise of some scales for 15 min.
3.) 1 hour practising pieces without intentionally memorizing or analyzing them thoroughly. I do the right hand first, then the left hand. Afterwards I practise hands together.
4.) 30 minutes practising my favorite piece which is beyond my current level (I keep missing notes though) mentally and as slowly as possible, while carefully analysing the piece as best as I can on-the-go, HANDS SEPARATE. HANDS TOGETHER mentally would just be impossible for me as the piece is eons beyond my level.

I haven't considered Hanon or Czerny. I have only been playing for one year, and am constantly on the lookout for improvements to my practise routine, which could be better. I have a piano teacher but I only see him every 3 weeks or a month. Quite keen on making faster progress by utilizing better practise methods.

I don't have anything that routine.  For 1) - I might use some exercise that I've been given to solve a problem that we found, but it isn't any system like Piano Yoga.  2) "mental practice" means different things to different people.  Part of music is mental practice anyway I think.  You go down the street and can't help working out this or that.  You may also study the music formally.  3)  All of that varies from day to day.  What works for me or someone else won't necessarily work for you, because we're all in different places.

On this:

I have a piano teacher but I only see him every 3 weeks or a month. Quite keen on making faster progress by utilizing better practise methods.

The obvious thing is ASK YOUR TEACHER THESE THINGS!!    (As per Vanii's recent new thread).     Can you increase how often you see your teacher?

[louispodesta]

You have posted a video with a very vague assertion about 19th century performance practices...you claim that they didn't play things as written. Your proof is a plethora of recordings made by the students of Clara Schumann as I recall.  That proves only that this small group did this and not that it was a worldwide standard practice taught by all teachers.  You seem to claim that written music meant something else then...but offer no explanation or supporting evidence beyond these recordings

You could also have left that camera running another 5 mins and recorded something you play


I suggest you post your playing because you continuously name coaches and teachers you have studied with .. you swear by their methods and yet you don't demonstrate what they have done for you personally.  Lest we not forget your solicitation of the forum and your constant and repeated offers to members to contact you by pm.

 You know I like you Louis...you brought Dr. Roberts words back to me from beyond the grave...he was a "fly by the seat of his pants kind of pianist.".  You have no idea how profound that statement is to me personally.

1)  You can take me personally to task all you want, but when, I continually cite legitimate sources, which have been ignored on numerous occasions, you have absolutely no right to re-define my original predicate.  I keep track, lady!

2)  Accordingly, in an interview with Radio Station WQXR of New York, City (January 2015), Dr. Brown specifically used my word:  "Wrong" in the headline to his following interview.

Please go to their website (WQXR), and then type in their search engine "Dr. Clive Brown."  Then, when it pulls up the article on "Classical Improvisation," scroll down to the link on his interview entitled "W'ere  All Playing Classical Music All Wrong."

3)  On point, in a very important addition to the discourse originally put forth by the OP, I include the following response that I just today received from my coach, Dr. Thomas Mark ("What Every Pianist Needs To Know About The Body."  (It is available from and through your Interlibary Loan (ILL)  for free):

"Hello Louis,

You are welcome to cite the chapter in which I talk about practicing. Most of what I have to say about practicing is in Chapter 4 of my new book, Motion, Emotion, and Love: The Nature of Artistic Performance. That chapter does depend, though, on some of the discussion in earlier chapters about how the brain works. "

[keypeg]

You have posted a video with a very vague assertion about 19th century performance practices...you claim that they didn't play things as written. Your proof is a plethora of recordings made by the students of Clara Schumann as I recall.  ....

I watched that video when it came out.  I remember it started with a statement about what "my teacher" supposedly taught me -- he didn't.  But dear dcstudio, every time you mention it, you are in fact advertising the thing you are against, and encouraging further statements made about it.     There are people who wrote about their day-to-day practising and their efforts are virtually being buried by this stuff.  I don't know if it matters, because the OP who asked the question doesn't seem to be around.

[dcstudio]

Just ignore it....lol. I will try. Nothing worse than a lack of acknowledgment. 

[keypeg]

Just ignore it....lol. I will try. Nothing worse than a lack of acknowledgment. 

I still remember the Skype lesson that was on your site, though the memory was vague.  You saw a kind of lack of flow, a kind of one-note-at-a-time mentality - anyway you saw cause and effect for a problem - and so you demonstrated, and you proposed a different way of practising to this student.  It addressed the strengths ans weaknesses of that particular student, and also came from your own strengths as teacher and musician. ........... Now, if that student were asked "what is your day-to-day practice routine like?", and it was at that time, she might cite the instructions you gave her.  That's how she's practising at that time.  But those instructions were for her, because of where she was at.  It would be senseless for anyone else to copy them, unless they were in the same place, and they also understood exactly how to do them.

If this makes sense.

[dcstudio]

It makes perfect sense. Those were very special instructions for a very special needs student.

[louispodesta]

It makes perfect sense. Those were very special instructions for a very special needs student.

1)  And, I am the freek/geek with their own agenda?  If it is actually true that you would post, establish a predicate, which directly related to a "special needs" student on a regular post:  shame on you!

2)  Secondly, my original post per the OP which references Dr. Thomas Mark, is:

" Hello Louis,
You are welcome to cite the chapter in which I talk about practicing. Most of what I have to say about practicing is in Chapter 4 of my new book, Motion, Emotion, and Love: The Nature of Artistic Performance. That chapter does depend, though, on some of the discussion in earlier chapters about how the brain works."

3)  Succinctly put:  you can go off topic, Divorce, et al , and then the rest of us are supposed to play by another set of rules?

[keypeg]

... If it is actually true that you would post, establish a predicate, which directly related to a "special needs" student on a regular post:  shame on you!

Louis - 1. ** I ** took it upon myself to refer to a lesson that I observed last year on dc's personal site.  She did not present it here.  You are way off base, and the tone is unpleasant for any of us to read.

2. It begins with my post (to which dc was responding to) and I was trying to make some points that I find important.  The main point was that how a person practices at a given moment also has to do with that person's needs, and there is a "how" to it.  So one can't just ask people "how do you practice" and blindly imitate what they do.  I then took the example from dc's lesson, which I had observed, and which was clearly geared toward where that student was at, and that student's strengths and weaknesses.  I very much liked what I saw, btw.  DCStudio was kind enough to give some additional information.  It's illogical that you would chide her for this.  I don't think you understood what I was saying, and what she was responding to, or why.

2)  Secondly, my original post per the OP which references Dr. Thomas Mark, is...

There are many members here, and input by more than one person.  At this moment we were not discussing you, or what you had to offer, or anything about any post of yours.  I did take time to address your post specifically a while back.  But at this moment we were discussing something else, by someone else - initiated by me, in this case, and referring to something I saw dc do as a teacher.  You have to be open to us discussing everyone's ideas and not just your own.  That's what makes forums both rich, and complicated.  Thank you in advance for your understanding.  

[keypeg]

I just looked back to see how many people contributed answers to the OP's question.  In addition to you, Louis, there were: brogers, dogperson, vaniii, ted, dctstudio, jtour, ronde-des-sylphes, lostinidlewonder, and myself.  Any and all of these contributions merit discussion and consideration.  I got insight from all of them.  At this point I would love to hear from the OP, dontcheeseme, to see what he got out of any of the posts - if he has questions - new insights, etc.  OP?

[lostinidlewonder]

Next, in that I have just taught you half of my course of instruction FOR FREE which I have been trolled on accordingly, you decide if you want the rest of the second half.  It is the only method taught by most prestigious music conservatory in all of Europe.

This is very funny and the last sentence just takes the cake. Oh Louis you grace us with your knowledge, thank you so much for donating your lessons for free loooooool oh but you hold back some golden knowledge which is prestigious and secretive you must be so good. Lol! /end sarcasm


The thread asks for your day to day practice routine not that difficult huh?

[keypeg]

I give up. 

[dontcheeseme]

Okay after reading your posts, and some others, and doing some research, I've found that it's impossible for me to describe my practise routine, except in this way:
1.) some scales and arpeggios
2.) memorize a piece hands separately, and practise it mentally (I have limited time on the piano)
3.) keep working on the pieces that I have learned, occassionally at 50% speed ON the piano
4.) there are some tricky bits within some pieces that escape my hands, so I cycle them out repeatedly at different speeds till my fingers get them, this might take days or weeks, especially the fast parts of Fur Elise or Mozart's Sonatine
5.) Study and review music theory, drill them into my head whenever I get the time, as of now focusing on scales that have less than 4 flats or sharps.
6.) Too bored and lazy to keep doing that Piano Yoga thing, many professional pianists attest to it, but I think I'm not at the level to really benefit from it that much anyway.
7.) Immediately incorporate dynamics, phrasing, etc. my feelings into the piece as soon as I start learning it, and try to make it even more colorful the more I play the piece (kind of pushing my creativity or feelings out a little bit. I dont know if this is safe).
8.) I dont really practise sight reading that much, but maybe in the future when I have more time
9.) Imbibe information about the composers whose pieces that I'm playing, to further add to my collection of mental representations, etc. gathered throughout my life, they vastly facilitate the pouring out of feelings and dynamics from my heart and soul into the piece. I find that watching and reminiscing about documentaries or films set in the 1800s-1900s help a lot with not being stuck mid-piece when it comes to 'coloring' the piece. There are also times when dynamics come out automatically just by paying attention to what I'm playing, intuitively, but this doesn't always work out well.

[keypeg]

Okay after reading your posts, and some others, and doing some research, I've found that it's impossible for me to describe my practise routine, except in this way:

Have you gotten any ideas about new ways of approaching your practice routine?
I forget whether you have a teacher - and if so, whether he/she has given you practising advice as well as specific goals to work on while practising.

1.) some scales and arpeggios

Do you set specific goals as you work on a given scale?  This may involve good movement, even sound (dynamics) for all notes, even timing - a particular area such as when you transition "over" the thumb - or moving for a broader range.

2.) memorize a piece hands separately, and practise it mentally (I have limited time on the piano)
3.) keep working on the pieces that I have learned, occassionally at 50% speed ON the piano

What I'm missing among these two is where you are actually working methodically on any particular section.  How about goals your teacher may have given you for the piece. Do you work start-to-finish, or in chunked sections?

4.) there are some tricky bits within some pieces that escape my hands, so I cycle them out repeatedly at different speeds till my fingers get them, this might take days or weeks, especially the fast parts of Fur Elise or Mozart's Sonatine

missing in this:
- pre-emptive work - finding the best way of approaching the tricky bits when you start working on the piece (preferably with your teacher playing a role)
- finding out why they are tricky and escape your hands, and then approaching that cause, finding a solution, and applying that solution.

..... 9.) Imbibe information about the composers whose pieces that I'm playing, to further add to my collection of mental representations, etc. gathered throughout my life, they vastly facilitate the pouring out of feelings and dynamics from my heart and soul into the piece....

Learning additional info is always good, and can be a neglected aspect of studying to play music.

[louispodesta]

My vids cost nothing to make or to upload. I don't find your argument valid or frankly, believable considering the amount of time you spend posting about your various causes here at PS.   You can set up a go fund me but you can't use a cell phone and make a short demonstration of your skill.? .    Please...

For those non-millenials, an oh my gosh! revelation:  I don't own a cell phone, and my wife just switched from a "Sheldon" stylus version to a cheap flip on, which she never turns on.  Not everyone lives in your world.

Once again, I am being challenged and slandered as a fraud.

Further, in terms of original performance practice, Dr.s Clive Brown and Neal Peres Da Costa (world renowned authorities in original performance practice) have enthusiastically endorsed my predicate and my video.  Your turn!

For this post, I am done.

[louispodesta]

My apologies, this response was to a Page One post.

However, it is still true because of a case in point that I just received a personal email from a very talented 14 year old, whose great wonderful teacher just teaches him to practice "harder."

Personally, I have just wasted a month of my disabled life on a highly recommended teacher (30 years experience) to coach me on my concerto repertoire.  She showed up late, more than once, and was never "prepared."

Now, I have a proposal for a future coach, who has credentials out the max (DMA).  We, shall see, if she wants to travel down the same path of the "easy" lessons with the 9 year olds or teach me the basics of playing a piece with two pianos for concerto and orchestra.

The point being, just what TYPE of "practice routine" do you think college degreed teachers even remotely know how to TEACH!

Even if they did, their one hour Pedagogy Course, per semester (along with their "unsupervised" student teaching), does not even get close to qualify them to do so.

[keypeg]

.... my predicate and my video.  Your turn!

So I take it that ultimately those lessons were non-productive?  That is unfortunate.

[dontcheeseme]

I'm not sure what goals I should have for scales and and arpeggios other than what Chopin has said, to make them sound like pearls, and I try to add in dynamics and challenge myself to add-in staccato or legato in between randomly. Make the sound as beautiful as possible, or even to add polyrhythm, or whatever into it. Different notes or rests.

As for the pieces, I do them in chunked sections as much as I can, there are times when I work on one page at a time, but no more beyond that. As I get to know the piece more, I do the whole piece at a time, rather than in chunks. I'm just replicating what my piano teacher does when we have our lessons. Chunks, moving on to bigger chunks as I get better with the piece or the more I practise it. And incorporate musicality as soon as possible, progressively adding more color to it the more I practise it (the latter is self-motivated).

As for the tricky bits, I just do what I can to "solve" them out using the collected knowledge that I have, I will then ask my piano teacher whom I see in a few days' time about those bits and what to do with them, what exercises I can make out of them Cortot-esque. Unfortunately he's so busy and I can only see him every 3 weeks, and he rarely responds through e-mail due to his demanding engineering job (he has honors both in engineering and music I believe, so I'm going to stick with him as a teacher, also he gave me motivation at a time when I almost quit piano due to my mental illness). So in the meantime I have this pianostreet forum to teach me and answer my questions (thanks a million for this!), then I shall further concur (is that the right word?) with my piano teacher about the things I have learned and newly implemented.

As for sight reading. I dont know I'll probably end up one of those people who are "Grade 8 student, yet Grade 2 sight reading" eventually, since it's the one thing that I keep avoiding, neglecting, and shunning away from, the rest I devotedly practise everyday as much as possible. Which isn't always enjoyable either, but there are days when I get bliss out of the pain and hard work involved.

[dcstudio]

For those non-millenials, an oh my gosh! revelation:  I don't own a cell phone, and my wife just switched from a "Sheldon" stylus version to a cheap flip on, which she never turns on.  Not everyone lives in your world.

Once again, I am being challenged and slandered as a fraud.

Further, in terms of original performance practice, Dr.s Clive Brown and Neal Peres Da Costa (world renowned authorities in original performance practice) have enthusiastically endorsed my predicate and my video.  Your turn!

For this post, I am done.

P
Oh...come on ....if you can afford to make and post that video about how we were all taught wrong...you can afford to post one of your playing...you were sitting at the piano for Pete s sake.   

Have you ever considered the possibility that you are trying to prove to the world that your teacher taught you and everyone else "incorrectly" so that you could tell the world that you could have been a concert pianist but your teacher taught you wrong?

Again you are dropping names of other people who are known...you seem to think that adds to your credibility

And shame on you for accusatory attitude. Get your facts straight before you Post.

That was just silly

[dogperson]

.. As for the tricky bits, I just do what I can to "solve" them out using the collected knowledge that I have, I will then ask my piano teacher whom I see in a few days' time about those bits and what to do with them, what exercises I can make out of them Cortot-esque. Unfortunately he's so busy and I can only see him every 3 weeks, and he rarely responds through e-mail....

I am curious about your practice of emailing your teacher questions, and would like the opinion of other teachers and students here.  Personally, I have never felt comfortable emailing my teacher a question: first, usually the answer means we need to discuss AT THE PIANO, and look at what I am doing.  But most importantly (to me), I feel like I am paying for lesson time, and that does not include the time to answer questions in between lessons by email or by telephone.

Therefore, I have never asked a question outside of lessons..... although I have certainly wanted to! Any other opinions???

[dogperson]

duplicate post: deleted

[lostinidlewonder]

I am curious about your practice of emailing your teacher questions, and would like the opinion of other teachers and students here.

I have a few students who occasionally message me questions they might have during the week or to have some verification if their direction is correct. I try my best in lessons to ensure my students know how to practice what I have set them though some still like to discuss their work and I think it should be encouraged.

I enjoy very much responding to my students outside of lesson time, I don't feel that it is imposing or requires any extra payment I like to see my students take interest in their work. I've chatted into the wee hours of the morning with students on facebook about music, it is after all a topic I enjoy discussing it is not just an occupation.

This thread might be relevant to your question:
https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php?topic=35687.0

[vaniii]

...
I enjoy very much responding to my students outside of lesson time, I don't feel that it is imposing or requires any extra payment I like to see my students take interest in their work. I've chatted into the wee hours of the morning with students on facebook about music, it is after all a topic I enjoy discussing it is not just an occupation.
...

The way i see it, if a student takes the time to ask, then I should reply.  It hurts me in the long run if I do not.

[pianoamatuer]

Daily, I don't have too much time to practice. I usually get around 1 hour and 30 minutes to practice, so I don't even bother warming up my hands first and I jump straight to pieces that I need most work on. Sometimes when I'm not so worn out mentally and able to focus more, I will practice some Hanon exercises for a bit. Here's how a typical session goes when I'm tired :
0-10 minutes Hanon Exercises / Warming up hands of any sort
20 minutes Go through all my songs that I'm working on
10-40 minutes Work on 1-3 specific songs and try to improve the song quality
30 minute break ( I cannot focus in prolonged periods of time )
Repeat. This time, take off the Hanon exercises and add in a little more laziness. In other words, I'll have even more trouble focusing and keeping on track.
I'm open to criticism of any sort. My practice routine realistically.. it's fair to give it a pitiful laugh.

[dcstudio]

Sometimes it looks like this...
https://www.dropbox.com/s/l4ge66wkwydnfcz/VIDEO0008.mp4?dl=0

Notice the eyebrows are very focused.

Or like this

https://www.dropbox.com/s/u9p328dj9gj8yo8/VIDEO0009.mp4?dl=0

Like this
https://www.dropbox.com/s/879zc5ffd227he2/VIDEO0010.mp4?dl=0

Or like this
https://www.dropbox.com/s/kh54qr4182a7rhq/VIDEO0011.mp4?dl=0

[keypeg]

dcstudio - thank you for sharing those clips.  Nobody else has dared to do that.  Having watched them all I have a couple of questions and such.

First, what we're seeing is a musician who has already mastered her craft, rather than a student learning how to play (new material as well as new skills).  This we already know because it's you.   Secondly, I'm assuming that these are all pieces that you have already mastered in the past, rather than new repertoire.  In terms of practising, understanding that practising, this is probably important.  So am I right about that?

I hope I'm not alone in the thinking that practising is done with purpose, and is distinct from playing for the fun of it.  I am guessing that what I'm seeing is a series of "run-throughs" where you are keeping the notes in your fingers and mind, of various material that you know well, and want to keep fresh - like for when you are performing.  In the mental process, if something flubs or even feels awkward here or there, you might be keeping note, and working with that later on, if there is reason to work on it.  Am I understanding this practising in roughly the right way?

You are letting us be flies on the wall at a given moment of a professional's routine, rather than modeling what a student should do.  (i.e. to play entire pieces through, at tempo, one after the other, is not what you'd want your students to do when learning to play a piece.  But it might be exactly the right thing to do before a recital, to duplicate an environment where you need to play through no matter what.)

I love that you shared the video where at the end it flubs, you throw up your hands, and get up.  First, since students will see professionals (incl. their teachers) as demigods and thus go into paralysis and defeat at their own flubs.  Secondly because getting up, knowing when to stop, going back to it later, is a wisdom we don't always have.

[ronde_des_sylphes]

This is fairly typical of me warming up through improvisation. I earlier in the thread mentioned that I would throw in a variety of technical figurations - I think I included all the ones I cited previously.

[ronde_des_sylphes]

Another couple of warmups (these were important - I was making a recording after!) Consequently they are both on a rather nice piano.

[keypeg]

changed my mind

[dcstudio]

dcstudio - thank you for sharing those clips.  Nobody else has dared to do that.  Having watched them all I have a couple of questions and such.

First, what we're seeing is a musician who has already mastered her craft, rather than a student learning how to play (new material as well as new skills).  This we already know because it's you.  Secondly, I'm assuming that these are all pieces that you have already mastered in the past, rather than new repertoire.  In terms of practising, understanding that practising, this is probably important.  So am I right about that?

I hope I'm not alone in the thinking that practising is done with purpose, and is distinct from playing for the fun of it.  I am guessing that what I'm seeing is a series of "run-throughs" where you are keeping the notes in your fingers and mind, of various material that you know well, and want to keep fresh - like for when you are performing.  In the mental process, if something flubs or even feels awkward here or there, you might be keeping note, and working with that later on, if there is reason to work on it.  Am I understanding this practising in roughly the right way?

You are letting us be flies on the wall at a given moment of a professional's routine, rather than modeling what a student should do.  (i.e. to play entire pieces through, at tempo, one after the other, is not what you'd want your students to do when learning to play a piece.  But it might be exactly the right thing to do before a recital, to duplicate an environment where you need to play through no matter what.)

I love that you shared the video where at the end it flubs, you throw up your hands, and get up.  First, since students will see professionals (incl. their teachers) as demigods and thus go into paralysis and defeat at their own flubs.  Secondly because getting up, knowing when to stop, going back to it later, is a wisdom we don't always have.

Yes this is not really practice...just a few clips of me running through stuff on an acoustic piano because I don't have one at my house.  I purposely shared my flubs...because yes, I flub too.  I get frustrated and throw my hands in the air when I am not playing well...just like everyone else.

It's a retirement home and I go there often not just for the piano, but also because of the people there.  They love to hear me play and that is always nice.

 There is an 80 year old man there who was a professional for most of his life and he has this really cool vaudeville style to his playing.  I will confess that I also go there to listen to him and pick up some of his amazing sound.  He loves to hear my classical rep because he doesn't read a note of music...so I mishmash through the opus 66 for him along with some other pieces I keep in my hands for just such an occasion.  He calls me a "real pianist" and tells me he is jealous...and I tell him I am envious of his sound, too. We get along famously...  By the end of our sessions we always have a crowd of people gathered around laughing and singing. So, like I said, I go there often. 

Thanks keypeg.

[keypeg]

Yes this is not really practice...just a few clips of me running through stuff on an acoustic piano because I don't have one at my house.

Thanks, that's important to know.  There are students here asking about practising, and for *practising* this would be a role model of what you don't want students to do.  But for ultimately being able to do it as a result or practising, it is encouraging.  You  have a run-through - ronde_des_sylphes has a warm up.  Both advanced pianists.

There is an 80 year old man there who was a professional for most of his life and he has this really cool vaudeville style to his playing.  I will confess that I also go there to listen to him and pick up some of his amazing sound.  He loves to hear my classical rep because he doesn't read a note of music...so I mishmash through the opus 66 for him along with some other pieces I keep in my hands for just such an occasion.  He calls me a "real pianist" and tells me he is jealous...and I tell him I am envious of his sound, too. We get along famously...  By the end of our sessions we always have a crowd of people gathered around laughing and singing. So, like I said, I go there often.  

What a delightful story!
And also a lesson "If you don't have the piano you want to practise on, find one!  Which you did.

[dcstudio]

One of the perks of being able to play is that I am really never denied a piano.  If there's one in the room they let me have at it.  I also play on the grand that you saw in the news blurb I got last year for that concert.  It's a much better instrument then at the retirement home.  That is where I do some actual real honest to god practicing. No crowds, no interruptions.

[keypeg]

I also play on the grand that you saw in the news blurb I got last year for that concert.  It's a much better instrument then at the retirement home.  That is where I do some actual real honest to god practicing. No crowds, no interruptions.

My thought is also that when you're in a retirement home, with other people around, you can't really practice.  I think regardless of our level, some aspects of practising stays the same.  If you are working out something in two measures of music, it will not be entertaining for those in the room, and to some degree you are putting on a show when there are people in the room.

[dcstudio]

and to some degree you are putting on a show when there are people in the room.

Always! But for me that is also practicing....if you spend all your piano time alone then that is the only way you are accustomed to playing well.  Part of the reason it's easy to play for others is because I practice that aspect as well.  I prefer to play at the retirement home actually...but I still put in the time on the grand.

[keypeg]

Always! But for me that is also practicing....if you spend all your piano time alone then that is the only way you are accustomed to playing well.  Part of the reason it's easy to play for others is because I practice that aspect as well. 

That makes sense.  If you want to be playing in front of others, you have to get used to that, otherwise you may be subject to emotional paralysis when you do have an audience.  So this is also practising with a particular purpose.

When I was in a situation where there were recitals, I discovered two modes for practising.  In an earlier mode, I made sure my piece was 115% solid.  This was a very anal, detailed practising, aimed at very specific targets.  I could start anywhere, and also knew how to recover, and such.  This was not a practising of a whole piece a tempo, whizzing through mistakes which I would never get solid or know how to solve. ---- But later I'd practise in "performance mode".  I'd also be watching for if I typically flubbed in one area, and later in "practice mode" might seek to strengthen the flubs.  Essentially I identified two kinds of practising.

Another way to desensitize yourself is to record and share recordings.  Recording can actually be more scary than being live, since the live performance disappears forever and you can even imagine you were flawless - recorded, it's etched in there forever.  To dare to let others hear your imperfections and know it's ok, that itself is a discipline, maybe.

I think that what we have here is that there are different kinds of practising, with different purposes, for different stages someone may be at in their journey, or even just in a piece.

[dcstudio]

I have never been flawless as a pianist...but I am entertaining to hear and to watch.  It took me years to realize the importance of engaging the audience every time you play.  The general public will remember what they see even more than what they hear much of the time. That flowing look to your fingers catches the eye and to most people a visual memory is often stronger than an aural one.  The dancing eyebrows I have are completely involuntary...I don't know why I do that so much but people love it..so I don't worry about it.


That's why I practice with an audience as well as without.

[j_tour]

I have never been flawless as a pianist...but I am entertaining to hear and to watch.  It took me years to realize the importance of engaging the audience every time you play. 
[...]
That's why I practice with an audience as well as without.

I was going to say "thumbs up" to your earlier charming post about the octogenarian student of yours.  I don't know what to say -- thanks for sharing some of your experiences, and, as it seems, more than just me is learning from your attitude some tricks of his or her own!

[dcstudio]

I was going to say "thumbs up" to your earlier charming post about the octogenarian student of yours.  I don't know what to say -- thanks for sharing some of your experiences, and, as it seems, more than just me is learning from your attitude some tricks of his or her own!

I am his student!! He has a way of striding that is just amazing.  Doesn't read a note but made a living playing for decades. I will post his chops next time I go there.  He sounds like an old time theater pianist...it's so cool.