How much practice a day??

[Beet9]

I was wondering how much practice is too much.  I practice about 6-9 hours a day, usually about 7 hours.  Do you think this is too much?  I don't want to damage my hand, but I it takes me this long to get through my technique and pieces.  How much do you practice?  Do you have any suggestions?

[comme_le_vent]

well my first suggestion would be to cut the crap - forget technical exercises - and learn music that will replace them - eg forget scales and arpeggios - learn alkan's op 76 no 3, forget 3rds - learn chopin and godowsky's 3rds etudes, etc etc
your technique will end up just as good, and youll be more happy cos ur playing superb music too.
this is what im in the process of doing right now.

[IgnazPaderewski]

There is absolutely No need to practice 7 hours a day unless  many things need to be learnt in a very short space of time. I have never practiced more than 4 hours a day - it is not necessary. I usually spend about 3 hours a day practicing (playing for pelasure not included). And there is no need to get through your "technique" - spend the time sight reading. If you have a particular digital difficulty, learn a relevant piece. If you are spending this amount of time working on anything physically straining, you will hurt yourself. As far as muscle development is concerned, always "little and often", never try and "swat" it, or you will kill your hand.

Instead of practicing all the time, go and listen to an opera or read through a symphony, and you will find it will improve your piano playing much more.

[nad]

7 hrs a day is a lot. You should watch out indeed. When one practice this much for a long time (meaning years) you risk developing dystonia. And i assure you, that's the last thing you want. You don't directly damage your hand, it is like RSI (repetitive strain injury) but RSI is caused by the periphere (dont know if thats good english) nervous system but dystonia is caused by the brain. This only happens to pianists, who play and practice too much.
Pianists as Glenn Gould, Michelangeli and Fleischer for example, also suffered of this syndrome (so i'm told by another member of this forum who also suffers dystonia for the past 11 years..)
The member i just referred to told me that in the years he studied he practised like 10 hrs a day...
Be careful, i've seen how they treat (or rather, this syndrome is being suppressed) it and you don't wanna know  :-/

[chopiabin]

Technical excercise are nearly worthless. Why not go through a few Chopin, Liszt, Scriabin, and Racmaninov etudes? This way you can condense your "technique time" and your actual learning time. Working on purely mechanical excercises will never improve you musicianship, and you should constantly be improving you technique through the pieces you are learning.

[anda]

how much time? that depends on what you are (pianistically) right now, what you want to become, what you need to do in order to get there, where your limits are, etc, etc. for instance, volodos says he never practiced more than 2 hours a day; pletnev used to practice 10 to 14 hours a day(when he was a student in the conservatory); gilels was well known for being the first student to get to the practicing hall in the morning and the last to leave; martha argerich is said to have been unable to touch the piano before the second cup of coffee and the fifth cigarette

if your technique is correct, you risk nothing by practicing as much as you want, most important is the quality of the practice - you need to be focused, to be able to think straight and hear right, so i guess the head is the first to crack on to much practice (that would be my case). so, best ask your teachers, who know you best, and know better than anyone here what you should do.

[liszmaninopin]

That amount of practice sounds kind of excessive.  On some days I might practice up to 5 or 6, but those days are relatively uncommon.  I just can't usually concentrate much longer than 2-3 hours most days, and if I practice beyond that, I get lazy and develop bad habits.  I know it may sound odd, but sometimes a day's break from piano playing will actually help me.

[eddie92099]

I know it may sound odd, but sometimes a day's break from piano playing will actually help me.

Quite!
Ed

[Askenaz7]

The important is to study with the right manner and with different techniques (even Bach could be used), so balanced study for the prosecution terget!

[liszmaninopin]

So somebody else has noticed this as well?  I wonder what the best way to take advantage of that is, maybe have 1 day a week with no practice, I don't know.  It really is funny.  Some day for example I'll spend 2 hours at a piece, making some progress, but with a couple trouble spots.  Then, I don't touch the piano for a day, and all of a sudden the trouble disappears.  Is that what you've noticed?

[eddie92099]

It really is funny.  Some day for example I'll spend 2 hours at a piece, making some progress, but with a couple trouble spots.  Then, I don't touch the piano for a day, and all of a sudden the trouble disappears.  Is that what you've noticed?

Exactly!
Ed

[nad]

So somebody else has noticed this as well?  I wonder what the best way to take advantage of that is, maybe have 1 day a week with no practice, I don't know.  It really is funny.  Some day for example I'll spend 2 hours at a piece, making some progress, but with a couple trouble spots.  Then, I don't touch the piano for a day, and all of a sudden the trouble disappears.  Is that what you've noticed?

I've noticed it too! Only the trouble spots don't entirely disapear, but i notice i can play it much better, it only needs a finishing touch then. It is quite funny indeed  

[chopiabin]

Yeah, I've noticed this too. It's also amazing how long finger memory lasts.

[Antnee]

Yes,
Maybe this is a good amount of time to let your brain maximize the growth it goes through to get your muscles to remember what to do. Maybe from now on I should practice piece A and B on day one, 3 and 4 on day 2 and then back to 1 and 2 next day!!!
Worth a try...

-Tony-

[bitus]

Beet9 wrote
"I practice about 6-9 hours a day, usually about 7 hours."

My question is: how much of those 6-9 hours that you say you are practicing, you are concentrated at your max? How much of that time you can say it was really worth practicing? And don't forget practicing doesn't mean to stay at the piano... or even play the piano! Somebody said in a related topic that a pianist is never trully honest about the amount of time he practices.
I saw in your profile that you are 16... where do you find time at 16 to practice 7 hours a day??? Don't you have homework, school?
The Bitus

[Beet9]

Bitus - It is very possible to practice 7 hours on a school day.  I practice 2 hrs before school and 4-6 hours after school.  Do ur homework in the frickin car!!  

[Rob47]

I think it is better to do an hour at a time.  You definitely need to take lots and lots of breaks if you want to effectively practice for long periods of time.  To concentrate entirely on one piece for an hour at one time is good I think.  take a break after and go outside...don't necessarily do homework bu relax your mind. Then come back do another hour maybe on something different. But if your not concentrating and very much into what you are practicing it is useless!

Try reading to find the interview with Horowitz "Technic, the Outgrowth of Musical Thought."

Rob47

[cellodude]

I've noticed it too! Only the trouble spots don't entirely disapear, but i notice i can play it much better, it only needs a finishing touch then. It is quite funny indeed  

Chuan C. Chang in his book "Fundamentals of Piano Practice" calls it PPI (post-practice improvement). And yes we can take advantage of it by learning more than one piece at a time. Let's say we are learning pieces A, B and C. On the first day we practise A and B, the second B and C, third C and A, etc. Makes sense?

dennis lee

[cellodude]

Chuan C. Chang in his book "Fundamentals of Piano Practice" calls it PPI (post-practice improvement). And yes we can take advantage of it by learning more than one piece at a time. Let's say we are learning pieces A, B and C. On the first day we practise A and B, the second B and C, third C and A, etc. Makes sense?

dennis lee

Oops! I hadn't notice. RondoAllaTony said something similar. Saw it only after I hit 'Return'.

dennis lee

[bernhard]

Try reading to find the interview with Horowitz "Technic, the Outgrowth of Musical Thought."

Rob47

Where can you find that interview?

[comme_le_vent]

2 very interesting interviews with horowitz can be found here :

http://w1.854.telia.com/~u85420275/articles.htm

enjoy!  

[bernhard]

Thanks!

[comme_le_vent]

your welcome

theres some interesting info about horowitz ive found out on the net- apparently he occasionaly enjoyed pornography, and one of his favourite movies was 'the terminator'. very interesting!  

[Askenaz7]

Ouuu ,so gunmachines?

[newsgroupeuan]

So somebody else has noticed this as well?  I wonder what the best way to take advantage of that is, maybe have 1 day a week with no practice, I don't know.  It really is funny.  Some day for example I'll spend 2 hours at a piece, making some progress, but with a couple trouble spots.  Then, I don't touch the piano for a day, and all of a sudden the trouble disappears.  Is that what you've noticed?

That happens with me also - I think the practicing is done in your sleep

Euan

[bitus]

comme_le_vent... that's really cool web-site. Do you know if there are any sites similar to that about other pianists or composers?
The Bitus

[pou_lenc]

Practising 6-9 hours a day on top of going to school is nothing but amazing and admirable, but i would guess not the best option. Like other people have said that not practising for a day makes things better sometimes, i would suggest that there are heaps of other things that can improve ones piano playing too (though i totally agree about not practising for a day). LISTEN to music. And not just piano music, or music directly relevant to the pieces you are studying. It's inspiring and wonderful. Try to discover pieces you don't know. Talk to people who are also passionate about music and piano. Read books. Live a little. I know it all sounds cliched and pretentious but I'm convinced it's true. How can you play passionately and convincingly if it is the only thing you know. Music is about people and the power of the human spirit, so don't forget to be a person too!

[bitus]

Very good point, poulenc
The Bitus

[comme_le_vent]

no i dont know any other sites quite as detailed as that, but you can always use google......

[Chitch]

Practising 6-9 hours a day on top of going to school is nothing but amazing and admirable

No it's not. Who spends that much time on actual practice and not just playing crap they already know? I doubt VERY much it's 6-9 hours of hardcore, intense thinking. I remember a while ago reading in a news paper that university students who went off to study music performance were told that "They should not be playing anymore" because they had overdone the number of "practice" hours. What's that? But my technique's perfect? Sure it is! Maybe for the first hour and a half, then you start slouching and getting sloppy with your technique, and you play like that for hours without knowing it. Oh well, you're different though, I know you're technique's perfect for the full 6-9 hours.

[Chitch]

Bitus - It is very possible to practice 7 hours on a school day.  I practice 2 hrs before school and 4-6 hours after school.  Do ur homework in the frickin car!!  

Hmmm...4-6 hours after school...then 2 hours before school. Do you think your brain has had enough rest to actually comprehend what you're doing?

[dinosaurtales]

I don't know about you guys, but I have a *day job* - a.k.a. a career, and I practice in the evening.  My brain is shot after 2 hours.  Even if I have a whole day to practice, the only ihntense time I can spend is 3 or so, with a couple of hours of light refresh memory work on existing repertoire.  More than that and I get sloppy.

[Chitch]

Even if I have a whole day to practice, the only ihntense time I can spend is 3 or so, with a couple of hours of light refresh memory work on existing repertoire.  More than that and I get sloppy.

hmmmm..."I can spend 3...More than that...sloppy". Interesting.

[bitus]

I used to wake up around 9 and practice 2 hours, rest 2 hours, etc for almost 9 hours a day... but i only lasted for two weeks or so... It helped a lot, but i was sick for 3 days in bed after that
My back is hurting be very bad because of too much practice... i couldn't control my body's position more than 2-3 hours, and after that i ceased to pay attention to it...
The Bitus

[dinosaurtales]

Could you at least control your bodily functions?