 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: USFBassClarinet
Date: 2009-04-24 03:31
I am currently in college and it's toward the end of the year. A few weeks ago I had to take a week break since I've spent the past 8 months playing from 3 to 6 hours a day almost every day. I found that taking a few days off helped me redouble my efforts when I started playing again. I was way more productive the next week.
I think it depends on the type of person you are though.
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Author: bmcgar ★2017
Date: 2009-04-24 03:44
Taylor,
"Guilty"?
To have "guilt," you have to have intentionally done something "wrong"! Tell me what's morally wrong about taking time off from practice.
Also, who said that you MUST play X number of hours a day or you're somehow a moral failure? Whom are you playing the clarinet for, yourself, someone else, or a diety? Who's watching and wagging their finger at you? Who's making the rules?
If you're playing for yourself, then:
- It's okay to take a day off.
- It's okay to take a week off.
- It's okay to take a month off.
- It's even okay to quit entirely!
What's not okay is to beat yourself up because you're not meeting some expectation that you've put on yourself or that you've internalized from the outside world about what you SHOULD or MUST do.
A famous psychotherapist called making a "would be nice" into a "must" "musterbation", by the way.
Please don't think I'm trying to put you down when I write this, but if you are so driven by your "musts" clarinet-wise, you probably don't play as well now as you would if you took a more relaxed approach, thought of playing as an enjoyable activity instead of a goal to relentlessly and painfully drive yourself toward, and played according to your own lights--even if it means you don't do what your teachers or a book on practicing tell you to do, or you don't buy the interminable "if you want to play well, you have to practice 24 hours a day" type of thing.
Relax! It's only music! (Before there were such things as professional musicians, people played because music was fun. Imagine that!)
Then there's the subject of practicing well vs. practicing long, but someone else is sure to talk about that.
B.
Post Edited (2009-04-24 04:05)
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2009-04-24 03:53
Yes, taking a break now and then never hurt anyone. As a matter of fact it might be healthy once in a while to give your lip a rest. Don't feel guilty, as soon as you can just get back into it. By the way, it's not usually productive to practice when you get to tired, you can get into bad habits or worse, hurt yourself. Take breaks often, you know maybe ten minutes every hour or so. And certainly don't play when you're hurting, unless you have to of course. I used to hate to take a vacation because I didn't want to go a week or two without playing. I thought it would take weeks to get back into shape and when I did I discovered it took about three days to be right back where I was after taking two weeks off. ESP
http://eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2009-04-24 06:28
Loving the post, bmcgar!
5 hours a day in the practice room would make me insane, and I'd drop the instrument entirely. I find breaks not only beneficial but critical for my continuing performance. It's when I recuperate, reflect, come up with new ideas, and ensure that I'm not defining myself by a single pursuit to the point of losing my grasp on other things, especially on why I'm practicing in the first place.
My in-the-practice-room-by-myself-practicing effectiveness goes down significantly a bit before two hours in one session, and 3 or so hours in a day. I think my practice sessions are intense and effective enough that I get done in 1 or 2 what some get done in 4 or 5. Some might suggest that I could therefore get done in 4 or 5 what someone else might get done in 15 or 20, but once I hit my practice room burnout threshold, the progress drops off significantly. Usually, after about an hour and a half of GOOD practice I'm drained, and need to do something else... if I can spend more time at it, it's a sign that I wasn't spending the time well. Getting tired is my clue that it's time for a break or for some not-playing-the-instrument angle on things.
I was at a workshop a while back where it was suggested that we should all be in the practice room 5 hours a day. The other participants disappeared into practice rooms, the stress level went through the roof, everyone started second-guessing themselves and comparing themselves to the others, and there was much less playing with and learning from each other. I determined that it just wasn't my world, and I'd leave the pursuit of pro orchestral jobs to those hellbent on putting in that much practice room time. Then again, my goals are much more focused on doing new and unusual and cool things with music, rather than clawing my way to some notion of the top of a profession.
I can spend 5, 6, 7, 8 + hours a day on clarinet-related activities... practice room, rehearsals, lessons, listening, critiquing, experimenting, looking over parts, etc. More than three hours a day in the practice room on the same instrument, though, may actually hinder my musicianship for a variety of reasons, including exhaustion (and corresponding need for recuperation) and starting to resent the darn thing.
Ideally (when I'm in full performance mode) I'd be in the practice room 2 (maybe 3) hours a day, 6 days a week, and take off a week or so a few times a year. I find myself no worse for the wear with a day or two off, two days behind with a week off, and needing a week or two of catchup with a month off.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: mrn
Date: 2009-04-24 07:33
You need not feel guilty or ashamed. I don't practice that much...not even close. I've never needed to.
And as far as taking breaks go, I took several *years* off from serious playing before getting back into it. It didn't take me long at all to get back in the groove--and even then it was mostly a matter of regaining endurance. So you can rest assured you won't lose your skills in the short amount of time you're talking about.
And as far as "big players" go, the late Robert Marcellus (about as big a name as you'll read on here) only practiced as much as you're describing for about 2 weeks (in his entire lifetime).
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Author: Nessie1
Date: 2009-04-24 09:44
I wholeheartedly agree with a lot of what others have said.
X hours is only a number. What did you achieve? Have you improved? May be the most important things you did were in the first few minutes.
Also you are (forgive me for saying this) relatively young. You have a lot of great playing time in front of you. In 10, 20, 30 years those few minutes or hours less in 2009 will really not be noticeable.
There are a lot of things you could do away from the instrument which could benefit your playing if you are getting frustrated - what about listening to stuff on the radio or looking at art (in books or on line if you can't get to exhibitions).
Don't rush to compare yourself with others - may be they are getting it all wrong.
Most of all, don't get to the point where playing becomes a chore - it should be fun and exciting and a joy.
Good luck - hope things improve at home - I know how hard that can be.
Vanessa.
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Author: grenadilla428
Date: 2009-04-24 12:50
Here are a couple pieces of practicing advice that I give my students:
- Practice what, not how long: Rather than watching the clock with a goal of practicing for x amount of time, make a quick mental list of pieces/excerpts/exercises you'd like to work on that day. Then, after you warm up, start going through your list. It might take you 45 min, it might take 2 hours. We tend to get more detailed in our practice if we're not glancing at the clock to see how long we've gone.
- Practice up to 6 days a week: Everyone needs a day off. Practicing hours a day, week after week is physically and mentally tiring. Coming back after your day off, you'll find that you play with more energy and more focus, and the day off won't hurt you one bit.
One more thing - There are days when we know we'll have a long practice session. When you start a long practice session, give yourself time at the beginning to really settle into playing. Long tones, scales, and Baermann/Klose exercises are great for this. Don't jump right into your heaviest work as you won't be happy with the results. Marathon runners don't sprint the first mile!
Hope this was helpful!
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Author: awm34
Date: 2009-04-24 16:03
I'm a mediocre player in my 7th year. Took it up at age 68 and practiced fairly regularly 1+ hours/day until February when Florida tennis tournaments and redesign of my tennis web site took over.
I'm back playing and practicing now and, to my surprise, found that my playing in my clarinet trio and the community band have both improved!
Who knew?
Alan Messer
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Author: arundo
Date: 2009-04-24 19:46
Taylor:
Just remember that the clarinet god in the depths of Reed Hell is watching you. If you dare to practice less than 5 hours a day, she will know and plant blisters on your tongue and boils on your lips. There's no escaping her revenge. She will curse your reeds and make saliva bubble from your pads. Beware her guilt-implanting spirit!...
It's not how much you practice but how and what you practice. I'm working a full-time job, am a political activist and amateur writer, so I can only fit one hour a day in on a regular basis. But since returning to the clarinet about a year and a quarter ago-- after a 20 year hiatus -- I've managed to play one hour a day without a day off. But within that hour I fit Stravinsky's Three Pieces, Debussy's Rhapsody, Brahms' 2nd Sonata, Neilsen's Concerto and a transcription of the first movement of Bach's Second Suite for Cello. I don't recomend such a routine to others, of course, but a good teacher can teach you how to practice efficiently and what sort of material you need to advance as a musician.
mark dickman
7738565490
markdickman82@hotmail.com
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Author: Curinfinwe
Date: 2009-04-24 20:01
Don't worry about taking a little while off- I took a week vacation to the Caribbean and when I came back I played better, musically, then I ever had. And it's stayed with me for a month or so now, so I really hoping it's going to stay that was.... Anyway, it won't take long to get your air back to normal again- only a few days- and your fingers will follow soon after. Maybe you'll be amazed, like I was, how much more musically you'll play after taking a little break!
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Author: kdk
Date: 2009-04-25 03:05
Before the days of 52 week seasons, many of the players even in major orchestras took off at least a part of the summer. As a student I heard tales of how awkward the instruments felt during the first couple of rehearsals in September when the regular season started again. But within a few days they were back on top of things. If it didn't hurt their playing...
Karl
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Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2009-04-25 03:24
Take some time off. And, while you're doing that, do yourself a favor and read, The Art of Practicing by Madeline Bruser.
Best regards,
jnk
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Author: Carol Dutcher
Date: 2009-04-25 03:49
It always amazes me when I read of practicing for many many hours at a time. How does your lip and mouth hold out for all of that? I am happy with one hour per day and at the end of the hour I am ready to stop. I think that if I played my sax two hours, I could handle that okay but no more than 2 hours on the sax.
Anyway, don't feel guilty. Feeling guilty is a big waste of time when you are working so hard to begin with. Spending your free time feeling badly is just a no-no!!!
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Author: Margaret
Date: 2009-04-25 03:50
Hi,
I think that you should practice as much as you please and not feel guilty about it. This may vary from day to day. I practice regularly now, but there have been times since taking up the clarinet when I have not for years, or when I just played every few months.
I find that anything emotional taking a toll on me has one of two unpredictable effects: I either find myself not practicing or I find myself practicing much more than usual. If the latter, I tend to lay off of studies and scales and play stuff I already know and enjoy. If you love music, you will return to it sooner or later. I wouldn't worry about this.
Take care,
Margaret
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Author: Bluesparkle
Date: 2009-04-27 21:06
Personally, I don't think it sounds healthy to practice as much as you say you are (3-5 hours a day). If you are in school, you have to make time for homework, friends, and after school activities, or even a job. To hole up in your room to practice so long seems counter-productive to becoming a well-rounded adult.
I understand the need to escape any family issues that may be going on right now, but in times of trouble, you need a circle of friends on which you can lean. Don't practice so much that you alienate yourself from others.
As other posters have stated here, an hour a day is probably plenty. If you are obsessed with the clarinet, how about considering taking on some beginning students and share your love for the instrument. You need to view the time you DON'T spend practicing as quality time doing all the infinite number of other things that will allow you to live life to the fullest.
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Author: Amalton543
Date: 2009-04-28 00:32
I think I'm split on this one compared to other people, so I think I'll voice my opinion.
If playing your instrument is something that you love and are passionate about, there is nothing wrong or unhealthy about practicing 3 hours a day. In fact, if you want to make it as a professional, that kind of practice is necessary. There are people all over the world practicing exactly that much, and you are going to be competing against them.
At the same time, people are right in saying that it's more about what and how you practice than how long you practice. Ideally, however, you need to have both a quality and a high quantity of practice. Take breaks so that it remains effective, but still practice that much.
To answer your original question, it is not only okay to take a break, it is a good thing. Everybody needs vacations, especially when there are stressfull things going on in your life. Don't feel guilty about it. If you do, then not only are you not practicing, your break isn't acheiving the effect it should because you are still stressed out.
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