different times spent practicing

[Kapellmeister27]

suppose you had two students who were identical in their learning ability and were taught the same way and practiced exactly the same way.

student A practices 4 hours a day
student B practices 2 hours a day

who would have made more progress, student A after 2 years, or student B after 4 years (that is, they both have the same hours of total practice but have divided it up differently).

remember, they are identical in every way.

[Brian Healey]

I suppose that they would be even, all things being equal. Is there a point to this question, or are you just curious to see what the answers would be? Sorry, I don't mean to sound like a dink. It's an interesting question, and I'm just wondering what prompted it.

Peace,
Bri

[Kapellmeister27]

no it doesnt have any practical value but i know it makes a big difference if you consider it on a daily basis.  for instance, if you spent an hour practicing a day, it might make a difference whether you spent it all together or if it wasd broken up.  i was just wondering how this worked on a long term basis

[pianobabe56]

My money's on student B. No real clue "why" per se. Just thought I'd share.

[ChristmasCarol]

Student B would be better...  Silence is as important as music.  Living is as important as practicing.  Listening, breathing, exercising, loving, etc are important ingredients in one's performances as well.

[anda]

i believe according to chang it would have to be student B - more post-practice time

[steinwayguy]

Definitely Student B. No matter how much time you spend practicing, there really isn't anything better than simply years of experience.

[rhapsody in orange]

Yes I agree that student B would do better too. Somehow I feel that I'm more productive if I split my practices rather than practise in a long stretch of time. Even though 4 hours a day isn't considered very long if the practice times are split up, but given the same abilities and all other conditions, the same thing spread over a longer period of time would have a better effect. I don't know if anyone else has this feeling, but sometimes I feel that I improved 'overnight' even if I didn't do any practise. I practise in the day, and maybe certain areas are not technically very right yet. But after a break and I try again the next day, it somehow got better miraculously.