What If I Only Have 30 Minutes to Practice?

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  • Опубликовано: 24 дек 2024

Комментарии • 83

  • @cedarvillemusic
    @cedarvillemusic  Год назад +3

    New courses on piano technique and historical improvisation now enrolling at Improv Planet:
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    And more: improvplanet.thinkific.com/

  • @cjcidaho
    @cjcidaho 11 месяцев назад +5

    I am "cranky and old," too. Not so cranky, really, but I know I will probably never get beyond about level two, being self-taught at this point (age 80). I like your videos because of your humanity and sense of realism. My human nature struggles with self-discipline, and this video particularly helps me focus. Many thanks, and please keep it up a long time!

    • @camh1149
      @camh1149 4 месяца назад

      I appreciate your insight. I'm slightly younger than you (55) and I am an 'born again pianist'', having played four about 4-5 years as a child. I find that some of my skills are slowly returning, but I will never be Glen Gould. So, I focus on simpler, less complicated classics, but still trying to increase the difficulty level. Ah, yeah... I must admit that I'm very cranky !

  • @pianopressofficial
    @pianopressofficial Год назад +15

    You are the first person on RUclips to say 30 minutes is not enough. I feel the same way. Its a good start. To get to great, invest the time.

    • @pianisthenics
      @pianisthenics Год назад

      Really? Is he the first? Are youtubers so delusional that they think 30 mins is enough? It takes years with 5-8 hours to get somewhere with the piano, 30 mins is good for learning new stuff, fixing one or two technical issue in the piece but not enough to build up a concert repertoire.

  • @amotinyabongo5659
    @amotinyabongo5659 Год назад +6

    Getting back on the piano after 40 plus years, being prepared to utilize unscheduled available time means we must travel with our backpacks. (Smile) The wife wonders why I always have a bag of stuff where ever or when ever I head out. It's not a lot of stuff I carry with me but time is the one resource we can't get back once gone. If I know I may get a chance to practice...I have my main back pack. If I know I'm not going to get a chance to practice...say going to the dentist/food shopping. I have a different bag...with reading or listening material. Thanks for the post.

  • @southpark5555
    @southpark5555 Год назад +9

    0:31 - true! 30 mins is infinitely better than 0 minutes.

  • @MWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWM888
    @MWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWM888 Год назад +4

    I listen to your lectures with pleasure. Thank you.

  • @stephenb4164
    @stephenb4164 Год назад +6

    Good video. Glad you are back.

  • @suntzu6122
    @suntzu6122 Год назад +46

    Another protip is: SLEEP! Sleep is where your neuroplasticity occurs, locking in your progress / learning. There might actually be something to be said for taking a nap after practice if you want to learn faster.
    Another thing that helps is doing nothing / taking breaks while keeping it fresh in your mind.

    • @DavidMiller-bp7et
      @DavidMiller-bp7et Год назад +7

      Sleep, rest and breaks are more vital than people know. I'm convinced piano progress happens during good sleep. A seeming miracle.

    • @DavidMiller-bp7et
      @DavidMiller-bp7et Год назад +4

      Unquestionable real thing. I was working on a tough passage, had difficulty, couldn't play it well, didn't get it. Decided to stop, got a good night's sleep. The next day when I went to piano about noon, I played it right, first time through.

    • @andrepechio
      @andrepechio Год назад +1

      YES!!

    • @RolandHuettmann
      @RolandHuettmann Год назад +2

      But too much sleep is making you dull. As always, balance is the key. I also do Yoga and meditation -- it is the additional relaxation and clears the mind if done right.

    • @KlaviersAnthology
      @KlaviersAnthology Год назад +1

      Yup! That's why 30 minutes per day is better than 3.5 hours in one day per week. And btw: 30 mimutes per day is super good. Better, even, than this video describes...

  • @drmichaelshea
    @drmichaelshea Год назад +1

    If I didn’t live in the middle of nowhere - Yuma, AZ - and had talent - most of which dissipated with age - I’d love to take piano lessons from you. You’re the kind of teacher I never knew.

  • @karlrovey
    @karlrovey 6 месяцев назад +2

    I've had times where I could only get 15 minutes of practice a day when trying to learn some accompaniment parts. It forced me to be efficient. The first day or two, I figured out which sections actually needed practice to be sufficient. Then, I would pick three sections to work on for 5 minutes each. I found that most trouble spots are only a measure or two, sometimes just a single leap between two chords.
    While not ideal, I think I learned more about good practice habits in those micro-practice sessions than I did when I would have to get hours of practice every day.

  • @DavidMiller-bp7et
    @DavidMiller-bp7et Год назад +2

    A few folks mentioned rest and breaks in practice and performance, applies to 30 minute or less practice-r. I find that often the best rest is NOT to do nothing, impossible for me, but do something else, change the focus of what you're working on, could be musical, playing the kazoo or non-musical to the roar of a lawnmower while chasing it.

  • @5tr41ghtGuy
    @5tr41ghtGuy Год назад +11

    As a 60 year old student who has been playing for 7 months, this video reinforces and clarifies things I have been intuitively groping towards myself. Even though I practice a bunch (3 -5 hrs most days), at my age I am striving to be as efficient as possible with the time I have remaining. Thank you!

    • @DavidMiller-bp7et
      @DavidMiller-bp7et Год назад +1

      Welcome. These are vital considerations when developing a playing technique. Rock solid wisdom. Wrong if it hurts, or is difficult, read not fun. Solving riddles in such a complex undertaking should be fun, also, that never stops. 70 is the new 80. Gratified here.

    • @Gerard_2024
      @Gerard_2024 Год назад +1

      @@DavidMiller-bp7et 80 is the new 70 ?

    • @Gilloringsend
      @Gilloringsend Год назад

      😊

  • @DavidMiller-bp7et
    @DavidMiller-bp7et Год назад +4

    Great wisdom, fun, practical, real.

  • @RolandHuettmann
    @RolandHuettmann Год назад +4

    Most people have the time setting priorities. Since when I quit watching nonsense TV I had plenty of time. We just waste so much time for things we do not really need to grow in our perception and abilities. I guarantee, it is rewarding in many ways to set priorities.

  • @dfpolitowski2
    @dfpolitowski2 Год назад +2

    Nice to see some new videos.

  • @MarianoPerez
    @MarianoPerez Год назад +2

    I practice about 40 minutes a day due to back issues and chronic cubital tunnel not related to piano. However, what has worked best for me is to break that practice time into a few sessions. Most days, I practice two 20-minute sessions. Each session is composed of 5 minutes of scales and arpeggios, followed by 15 minutes of pieces. Also, I play songs from my repertoire through out the day when i have a few minutes here and there and i dont count this towards my practice. If i did, id probably be in the 50 to 60 minutes range.
    I always have a plan for each session. For example, I spend 6 minutes learning a new measure, 6 minutes ironings out passages and phrases out, and 3 minutes reviewing what I've already learned.
    I have to devote time specially to sight reading though. I only read as I'm learning the song for now. And anything else that I can do where I'm not sitting at the piano, namely planning, researching, etc, I don't count towards my practice time.
    I feel so lucky that I can practice despite my cubital tunnel and lower back pain. That's why I make sure I make my practice sessions count.

  • @RobinJWheeler
    @RobinJWheeler Год назад +2

    For technical stuff I like to practise 8 keys a day. E.g. C major, A minor, Eb major, C minor, Gb major, Eb minor, A major and F# minor. They are keys following the diminished chord. If you like Barry Harris..

  • @paulpisano762
    @paulpisano762 Год назад +6

    Your comment about continually being asked to do more with fewer resources gave me this great idea: college administrators should ask their football and basketball coaches to just teach the players in a lecture hall setting! That way they wouldn't have to build state-of-the-art, multi-hundred-million-dollar stadiums (with major renovations every 15-20 years) for them to practice in.

    • @DavidMiller-bp7et
      @DavidMiller-bp7et Год назад

      Very keen but peeing into the wind. My gripe precisely.

  • @estakass1482
    @estakass1482 Год назад +9

    I enjoyed this for 2 reasons. First because I learned the BacH Brahms Chaconne shortly after I started playing with only my left hand. I think it took me 4 or 5 months but I liked the piece and my teacher said I could learn it. This is probably my greatest achievement on piano. Obviously I am very familiar with the Chaconne. I never practiced anything that slowly. Great idea. I wonder if I should play slowly for my teacher or I should try to play at tempo for lessons. Going to look at the Chaconne again and see if slow practice makes perfect.
    I have recently managed to increase my time at the piano from 15 minutes to 40. I just stop when the arthritis pain starts in my thumb. In 15 minutes I accomplished nothing. But 40 minutes is okay.

  • @erikhauganaaslandpianist
    @erikhauganaaslandpianist Год назад +4

    If I'm overwhelmed with work (even with lots of time to spare), I tend to divide the music into very small chunks. I set a timer for, say, 3 minutes, and learn a particularly difficult passage - only something very small, like a few bars of nasty stuff. And then I move on to something different and do the same. Then after a few cycles, I return and repeat, but this time with a tiny bit more overlap before and after, thus avoiding "cuts" in the music. This allows my brain to stay fresh and the practicing won't become mechanical and thoughtless. I don't have to have a plan per se, but I do need to know beforehand what parts of the music can be learned after playing through once or twice, and which parts need deep dives.
    Time wasted on being happily and musically playing the easy parts is time I always regret, even though I enjoy it at the time. There will come a time later when I'd kill for that time just to polish a difficult passage.
    If a passage won't stick, I make sure that the last few times I play it is at least slow and correct. This is to not let my brain remember that passage as being a horrific mess. Then I SLEEP ON IT. Yes! This works. When you return after a good sleep - where the brain has had time to do it's house cleaning work, you will find that it has at least somewhat improved said passage. It might not be solved, but the path forward is clearer and more plausible.
    Also, as my teacher, Hamish Milne, said: "Indecision is the root of all evil." Don't spend time being indecisive if practice time is short. Go straight for the throat, and don't let go.

  • @southpark5555
    @southpark5555 Год назад +6

    2:05 - that is a real case of time plus talent plus effort, as John not only has talent, but also works hard - and is also highly intelligent, tactical - well organised and efficient in doing things.

  • @cisium1184
    @cisium1184 Год назад +23

    5 minutes at a time is pretty much my standard practice increment, although the total time spent practicing per day is much more than 30 minutes. My brain learns better in little “bites” with breaks in between.

    • @DavidMiller-bp7et
      @DavidMiller-bp7et Год назад +4

      I think that is true of all of us. We get obsessed with putting in a lot of time. And stay focused on ironing out a challenging passage. I will think about this.

    • @hungryformusik
      @hungryformusik Год назад +2

      This has been proven with young practitioners to be true and is very efficient. When you stop, the mind continues the practice the part you just played for a while.

    • @hellbooks3024
      @hellbooks3024 Год назад

      In his little book, Gieseking warned against practicing for more than twenty minutes at a time, if I remember correctly from more than 50 years ago. Of course, he was one of those people who could play a score by memory after having looked at it once.

  • @superblondeDotOrg
    @superblondeDotOrg Год назад +3

    A good followup video would be examples of practice journals. With limited time I found a daily practice log to be absolutely critical to avoid wasting time with "umm so what should I work on" as well as track which sections needed more time and which sections were mostly fine. I have yet to run across any other student who kept a line-item practice log (with length of time per section, bpm, todo notes) like I did..not even my profs. I found one blog online of a pianist who showed a matrix grid where cells would be filled with bpm and columns with the date, and rows being sections/measures/exercise names. But no indications for how many minutes to spend on each item. Anyways this log/journal becomes the immediate and rapid reference for starting the short session with very minimal time spent fumbling around for books or pages etc, and maximizing focus on each todo item.

  • @rodaballovigo
    @rodaballovigo Год назад +1

    Excellent. Thank you very much. 30 minutes with these direction and focal points will help me a lot.

  • @komoru
    @komoru Год назад +6

    I would also say if someone only has 30 minutes a day to practice, and piano is a top priority for you, then you need to find other areas in your life to cut back on to gain more time to practice. I'd also say that you'll need more time to practice in Less phone time, less travel time, and possibly even less time with friends/family. Really great musicians are often loners and eccentric and socially awkward....and also poor because they spend more time playing music than focusing on things like making money (!)

  • @bobbideemusiclessons3701
    @bobbideemusiclessons3701 Год назад +1

    Great video! Very insightful and also motivating for myself and eventually for my students in the future

  • @aykutucar
    @aykutucar Год назад +7

    Thank you for this, really helpful. Could you do the 1 hour and 2 hour versions if you have time?

  • @andrewhicks8340
    @andrewhicks8340 Год назад +2

    With 30 minutes, I do better with just one thing instead of two or three. If I have weeks or months of limited time coming up, I accept that I am simply not going to get around to some areas for a while.
    Fine video, lots of good advice.

  • @prematureoptimism7125
    @prematureoptimism7125 11 месяцев назад +1

    This video was around 15 min so I've got 15 left to hopefully achieve something. Thanks. Great channel. ⏰ 🎹 ⏰

  • @pinocesi8402
    @pinocesi8402 Год назад +2

    A dear greeting maestro!

  • @rabepiano8467
    @rabepiano8467 Год назад +4

    If i relate practising the piano to meditation I come to kind of similar points of view. There is a limit to what could be „gained“ from a very short session . Five, ten, fifteen minutes are not worthless, but the „magic“ moment, in my experience, never starts before minute twenty or so in both disciplines (and many others too, learning a foreign language or some sports e.g.).
    The opposite should be considered as well : having lots of time and being eager to practice, I wound up reaching the point, where I was no longer concentrated.
    But that might be the topic of another video .

  • @achaley4186
    @achaley4186 Год назад +2

    Brilliant! Thank you 🙂⭐❤🙏🏼

  • @hazelwoodgarage
    @hazelwoodgarage Год назад +2

    I’ve been told to stay at the level your at takes 20 minutes a day, I usually practice right after supper as that is when I have the time, it usually turns into 30 minutes though as I lose track of time, I switch back and forth between piano accordion and piano, sort of cross training

  • @UltraLeetJ
    @UltraLeetJ Год назад +3

    I normally do 1.5 to 2 hours of practicing.. but on busy days with erands and so on its more like 10 minute pockets spreaded for a total of 40 and same, very strategic planning and such.

  • @RandyTynes
    @RandyTynes Год назад +1

    I often wonder how much my ability as a intermediate pianist has been affected because of my lack of practice for long stretches of days. I’m home around 15-17 days in a month because of my job and I try to use my time wisely to advance my studies and proficiency when I can. When home I will sometimes practice 3 hrs or more at time with small breaks in between. Am I really wasting “cognitive” time beyond a couple of hours of practice in a day even though it’s common knowledge to practice in small increments daily for better results? I’m sure there are many studies regarding optimal practice routines! I’m always amazed how well I play a struggling passage after being away for several days when I had such difficulty with it before I left!

  • @lerippletoe6893
    @lerippletoe6893 Год назад +2

    I do have some decent time but I think this video is very important for how I need to treat each of several different aspects of playing.

  • @DavidConnors
    @DavidConnors Год назад +1

    Another great video full of wisdom that has given me significant pause as to the effectiveness with which I spent my time at the piano. Thanks @cedarvillemusic.

  • @velcroman11
    @velcroman11 Год назад +5

    I use a kitchen timer. The timer stops me from taking time from another practise activity.

  • @taiteyard3567
    @taiteyard3567 Год назад +2

    Maybe you’ve already done a video on this subject, but it would be interesting to hear your thoughts on how effective scales and arpeggios really are. My piano teacher recognized that technique was my strong suit from the moment she met my neophyte pianist self, so she never had me practice scales or arpeggios. All of my technique was acquired through practicing pieces. I’ve since learned Chopin Ballades and Etudes, Ravel’s Ondine, and other technically demanding pieces without ever practicing scales or arpeggios. I too often meet pianists who have played for a decade practicing their Hanon exercises every week, yet struggle with intermediate and even beginner pieces. I’ve always viewed it as archaic to practice such things, so maybe I’m missing something?

  • @southpark5555
    @southpark5555 Год назад

    1:01 - this!!!!! Fully agree.

  • @abell8625
    @abell8625 Год назад +1

    Thank you for this video - it's excellent advice for those of us who have limited time but want to maintain some music. I have another question for you (perhaps you'd answer in a video?): How do recommend starting a new 'project piece'? (e.g., a Chopin Ballade) Particularly if one is short on time? Do you, for example, advise working on rudiments in relevent keys first/alongside? (scales, arpeggios, etc.) Tackle one measure at a time? One page? etc.? Listen to recordings? Hands separately? Any advise on 'process' would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

  • @AmeeliaK
    @AmeeliaK Год назад +1

    I think he addresses himself to music students who want to become professional pianists when he says that 30 minutes is not enough. If you are an amateur, I think with 30 minutes per day, you can achieve a lot.

  • @komoru
    @komoru Год назад +4

    Some ear training is also good if you only have 5-10 minutes to practice, and there are many good ear training apps if you're not near an instrument.

  • @bachplayer13
    @bachplayer13 Год назад

    Great advice thank you

  • @ginogalan9783
    @ginogalan9783 Год назад +2

    Hello John, thanks for this video, it kinda reassured some thoughts I’ve been having about making the best of short time practice, how would schedule a two hour practice? Greetings from Mexico City

  • @quietcat77
    @quietcat77 Год назад +1

    Fantastic content, as always! What is this notepad software that you are using?

  • @oimpe
    @oimpe Год назад +1

    what is the complete title to the Bach piece? Please!

  • @charleslascari7191
    @charleslascari7191 Год назад

    Can you recommend fingering for descending arpeggios?

  • @syntheticjuice9279
    @syntheticjuice9279 Год назад +1

    if you are really tight for time and only can play for 30 mins a day for an extended period of time, consider taking an "off day" once in a while to just "play for fun" too.

  • @pianisthenics
    @pianisthenics Год назад +13

    I think for most of the people, if they just quit social media, tv, Netflix, streaming and gaming they would have at least an hour extra in their lives. 30 mins is enough for fixing one or two technical issues in the piece or learning a section of a new piece, maintaining old pieces, but it’s not gonna be enough to build a proper pianist from ground up.

    • @bertorrrr
      @bertorrrr Год назад

      Although this is true, on my side I don't do social media for fun, I do it because I'm addicted. Fortunately, my will for piano currently is greater than my addiction to electronics.

    • @raymondmiller5098
      @raymondmiller5098 5 месяцев назад

      Correct. If you ween yourself from all of the mind-numbing "electronic gizmos" (including tv), you have tons of extra time. As a retiree, I'm sure glad that none of these silly distractions were around when I was a kid.

  • @harrywoodell7008
    @harrywoodell7008 Год назад

    Do, or do not. There is no try. Rach 2 may take years, but the fun is in the journey.

  • @walkerwhitehouse5413
    @walkerwhitehouse5413 Год назад +1

    How does this differ for you if you want to work on improvising?

  • @Ranger1216
    @Ranger1216 Год назад +3

    If one practices with total attention for a true 30 minutes specific exercises….I think much may be accomplished say in a year…..

  • @velcroman11
    @velcroman11 Год назад +2

    30 minutes a day is better than 15. 15 Minutes a day is better than 0 minutes a day. 5 minutes a day is better than no minutes a day.

    • @tjcogger1974
      @tjcogger1974 Год назад +1

      5 minutes isn't even enough time to warm up.

  • @sanderholmsentolner8604
    @sanderholmsentolner8604 Год назад

    What program is that?

  • @Ranger1216
    @Ranger1216 Год назад

    True practice time is actually playing…..count that “frictional inefficiency” of the minutes one is not really playing. Aim for efficiency….actual playing on the keyboard time.

  • @estefanianius
    @estefanianius Год назад

    What does the Rachmaninoff quote say?

    • @cedarvillemusic
      @cedarvillemusic  Год назад +1

      Big line, big musician. Small line, small musician.

  • @gretareinarsson7461
    @gretareinarsson7461 Год назад

    I love these videos but pretty sure I would not last for long havingJM as a teacher 😄

  • @Delectatio
    @Delectatio Год назад +1

    "What Do You Do If You Only Have 30 Minutes to Practice?" - the answer is obvious: cry 😭

  • @1.4142
    @1.4142 Год назад +1

    Expand it into 40 hours

  • @richiebeirach3671
    @richiebeirach3671 Год назад

    if you only have 30 minutes FORGET BEING AN ARTIST ??