 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: chipper
Date: 2005-02-09 12:33
As the parent of two teenagers, the loving husband of one fine woman, a dedicated employee at a day job, the king of home maintainance etc. I find it difficult to set time aside for practice. I have gone down to lessons every other week, alternating with my son's guitar lesson, but it seems I'm never ready for the lesson and I'm usually very humble indeed by the end of it. What solutions have those of you on this BB in a similar situation come up with to guarantee time for practice?
Thanks
C
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2005-02-09 12:36
Try to set a specific time "in gold" to practice. Make it a part of your routine, not something to do when you get a second in the day to do it. If you schedule it, it will happen. If you don't, the week passes really quickly. I usually suggest to students (not the music majors, but the general players) to practice right after dinner. It can be a mental cue to do it - typically you are home then, and done most of the errands for the day (soccer mom stuff) so it can be a time for yourself if you can work it out with your family to do so. Even just 20 minutes will help prepare you if that's all you can afford daily.
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Author: John O'Janpa
Date: 2005-02-09 13:34
If you watch too much television (as I do), replace the least favorite show you routinely watch (the one that makes you ask yourself " Why did I waste my time watching that?") with practicing the clarinet.
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2005-02-09 13:39
John O'Janpa wrote:
> If you watch too much television (as I do), replace the least
> favorite show you routinely watch (the one that makes you ask
> yourself " Why did I waste my time watching that?") with
> practicing the clarinet.
What I do is practice while my TV is on. I enjoy having some noise in the background and if I'm in the middle of scales and feel like a five to ten minute break, I just set it down and watch the TV. Then I pick it up again and play again.
It seems to work ok for me.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: Brenda
Date: 2005-02-09 14:03
My motivation is remembering my goal. The short-term goal is having the discipline of a weekly lesson, the long-term goal was progressing through exams, and now it's preparing specific pieces. Being part of a small ensemble provides another outlet and also gives me deadlines for learning my parts. My family watches a lot of television, but I can look at my framed certificates on the wall and look at the concerts coming up to see that I've accomplished something with my time. Music is a passion, and it's a real satisfaction to see where I am now compared with 2, 5 or even 10 years ago.
My situation is similar in that I have a day job, have raised a family (they still pop over to visit so that takes time), and have home duties. But for me the only time I have is in the evenings, and not every day. I've long ago convinced myself not to agonize about the two days I can't practice at all and just be happy with what I can do. But for me it's too important to have the regularity of a weekly lesson - previously the bi-weekly lessons allowed me to mentally slack off until a few days beforehand.
So my inspiration for each practice is to aim towards a very small goal, for example playing the study at 80 today instead of 65 - to polish up a small stubborn section and play it cleanly this time, things like that which are important for the big goal. It makes for a real sense of accomplishment at the end of practice.
Do you enjoy your lessons or does your teacher make you feel small for your mistakes? Does he/she take into account your time limitations and commend you for what you've done well? A good teacher can give you that subconscious incentive and determination to move forward when the rest of you tells you to rest that evening.
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Author: mkybrain
Date: 2005-02-09 23:44
heh, i watch Lord of the Rings while im practicing. I usually try to practice all the way through(and i have the extended versions). Of course i take my breaks when the really emotional(and with that comes incredible music) parts come up.
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Author: Rick Williams
Date: 2005-02-10 04:24
Simply put it is a matter of priorities. I certainly understand the issue and I find myself in the same position often. But, once you make the comittment to practice, you will do so and no amount of fad time managment schemes will replace it. As Nike says; Just do it!
Good luck
RW
Best
Rick
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Author: allencole
Date: 2005-02-10 16:45
Several things might help, if practical.
1 - get an instrument stand and keep it assembled during your evening hours at home. Practice a little while when you put it together, and practice a little more when it's time to take it apart.
2 - If you can't schedule large blocks of time, then never pass up the chance to play for 5 or 10 minutes at a time. Idea #1 can help to make this practical.
3 - Do all your scales, arpeggios, long tones and other basics in your first sitting. This will keep your basics maintained even when you can't practice any more than that.
4 - Listen to Brenda ... work on one problem or one goal at a time, and keep your lessons weekly and regular if you can. I find that most of my adult students need time to drill in the lesson itself, and I usually steer them towards a lunchtime slot and give them more time.
Allen Cole
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2005-02-10 16:51
Give up some sleep, stay up later and practice just before bedtime. After a while you (more or less) get used to surviving with less sleep. It's not the ideal solution, but there are only 24 hours in a day, so there is no ideal solution.
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Author: glin
Date: 2005-02-10 19:29
Chipper,
We all feel your pain, and I can relate. Very good advice here. Some points to consider;
1)if you feel are overwhelmed by the lesson material, talk to your teacher to ease up on the quantity of material to be covered.
2)if crunched on time, focus on problem areas, discover/solve the problem and repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, and repeat. Breaking long passages in small groups, as already mentioned, helps. Try varying rhythmic patterns to isloate and fix the finger coordination issues.
3)try to set aside time every day-even if it is only 15 minutes-make the most of it. Regular playing pays off.
4)if you can't practice, listen to a few clarinet CD's or read up on the lesson music/exercises and make notes.(ie fingerings, left hand, right hand, musicality...)
Often, I find adults such as myself out at somewhat of a disadvantage. We seem to be able not to have enough time after work, family, and other tasks to get to the music. Furthermore, I feel the older you get, the less nimble our fingers get, and we often take more time to learn musically than say our much younger folks:).
But, I am reminded that a lot of kids have time crunches too.
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Author: chipper
Date: 2005-02-10 20:49
Thanks all for the suggestions. I used to practice after everyone went to bed and think I'll try this routine again. There is a spot downstairs to set up. I originally redid a room as a music room but we're redoing the first floor woodwork (scraping 100 yrs of paint) and sanding floors and all of our books and furniture are temporarilly stored in the music room. I've been asked to play the summer concert series with our civic band and perhaps the responsibility to other band members (vs only the responsibility to the lesson) will keep me on track. Guess I ought to accept the honor. I love playing and really miss it when I've been diverted. Focus, focus, focus. Again, thanks to all.
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Author: Bradley
Date: 2005-02-10 21:54
Also, I'm a heavy believer in quality rather than quantity. I've never been one of the "i practise a million hours a day" people- except during the summer where I've gotten used to drilling technique stuff as much as possible with the extra time. For me 30 minutes of really focused practise with the metronome going always pays off more than with a less productive attitude for longer. It seems really obvious when one says that, but sometimes I forget that principle.
Bradley
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