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Post by guzhenglover on Nov 22, 2006 3:29:46 GMT
Dear all
Just wondering if you would like to share with us all what sort of practice plans you currently operate on. I guess what I am asking here is not so much advice on how to practice as to get an idea of what fellow guqin enthusiasts do so that I know if I am doing enough. I have a very busy work schedule, and on top of this I am a very active pianist, guzheng player and (more recently) guqin player. I tend to break up my practice times across the different instruments and on average this means allocating at least ca. an hour to each instrument daily i.e. 3 hours practice time. On weekends I increase the practice time to anywhere between 2 to 3 hours for each instrument.
Please share with us what it is that you do to keep in good musical shape and to progress?
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Post by YouLanFengChune on Nov 22, 2006 5:50:46 GMT
my regiment. (please rmember that i am a college senior, running 1 website, attetsing firm for guzhengs and pipas for europe and canada, erhu manufacturing, 1 music school with 15 personal students and teaching in primary schools"
6.30 am - 8 am _basics
lunch time - a tune or 2 if busy, if not, a strict regimentation of my concerto piece
night, more regimentaion
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Post by YouLanFengChune on Nov 22, 2006 5:51:43 GMT
You need to treat urself in a strict fashion. Being a performer is as much work as being a competittive athelete, plus the art, minus steriods...
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Post by Si on Nov 22, 2006 9:10:28 GMT
Well i try to do an hour a day, often broken up into 2 30mins sessions but there are days when i miss because i have other stuff to do......
i dont plan to perform unless its infront of fellow guqin'ers and i only learn for personal pleasure.....
and to develop the (revised) 4 areas of culture - guqin, weiqi, chinese tea, bonzai........
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Post by Charlie Huang on Nov 22, 2006 10:23:23 GMT
Often learn whenever I get the time and feel like it. I miss Monday because may father's home that day. I often miss whole week if I enter a depressive episode, like I'm currently in now...
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Post by blob on Nov 22, 2006 10:58:00 GMT
Most days for me, 1-2 hours in morning, 1 1/2 hours at night, if possibly 1 hour in the afternoon, 6 days a week, 1 day rest.
For each session, I start with some basics (e.g. long tone, scales, fast scales, etc.) not all, but alternate across different sessions, then move to songs that I am learning, usually 80-90% of the time only concentrating on areas that are problematic. After I have improved on these areas, I finally play the entire tune(s) a few times. Then I repeat songs that I have more or less got to an ok level, to keep the level in check.
I find that 1 hour is the bare-bones minimum for myself on just the dizi. 3-4 hours is more or less ideal, since it allows for faster progress.
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Post by Si on Nov 22, 2006 13:02:00 GMT
flippin heck!
i dont know where you all get the time!
when i get home from work there are so many things to do!.......
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Post by blob on Nov 22, 2006 15:16:24 GMT
its all done by waking up earlier and sleeping a bit later, and seeing as little TV as possible..
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Post by Charlie Huang on Nov 22, 2006 16:23:06 GMT
For guqin, the time is less. It should ideally be around 1 to 2 hours daily. You will notice improvement.
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Post by Si on Nov 22, 2006 16:47:33 GMT
Yeah - number one is that you should enjoy it!
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Post by Charlie Huang on Nov 22, 2006 16:51:04 GMT
For guqin: 1 hour or less daily, 3 years you'll be an leading amateur. 1-2 hours daily, in 3-5 years time you'll be a amateur-pro. 2-4 hours daily, in 5 years you'll be a pro.
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Post by SCWGuqin on Nov 22, 2006 18:05:09 GMT
Just who the heck decided that, CCC? I know people who have been practicing diligently for ages and are still terrible.
I practice very irregularly. I have a public performance about once every three weeks, so usually I "take a breather" for about a week afterward and then crank up the intensity for the remaining two weeks. I play up to 6 hours a day, divided about equally into traditional and experimental playing. I don't know what distinguishes "leading amateur", "amateur-pro" and "pro"; all I know is that it's always an uphill battle but after 3 years the effort is finally beginning to pay off!
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Post by blob on Nov 22, 2006 19:43:05 GMT
Well, perhaps like all things, some people can pick up instruments faster (extreme being prodigies). But perhaps another important factor is also how one practices, bad practice can not only cause one to develop bad habits, which may inhibit progress in the future, regardless of time spent. Also, as advised by many here, a good teacher is very important, and can accelerate the learning process.
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Post by kyokuhon on Nov 22, 2006 23:01:48 GMT
Hey, all,
I'm with syburn on this one; my main goal is my own development and pleasure; though I'm finding that, as the only qin player within 90 miles (at least that I know of), requests for performance do come from time to time. Like some others, I also play other instruments, though right now all my elective practice time is reserved for qin, simply because that's what I want most to do. But, if I've got a gig on lute, then I practice up on that. Further, I've generally got a piece running through my mind as I make dinner, etc. In my experience, that sort of counts as practice time, too, in that I find I sometimes get insight into phrasing, etc. My usual practice time is about 45 min. to 1.5 hrs. usually finishing around 12:30 pm, after everyone else in the house has gone to sleep.
Best to all, and keep playing,
K.
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Post by Charlie Huang on Nov 22, 2006 23:23:29 GMT
Just who the heck decided that, CCC? I know people who have been practicing diligently for ages and are still terrible. I practice very irregularly. I have a public performance about once every three weeks, so usually I "take a breather" for about a week afterward and then crank up the intensity for the remaining two weeks. I play up to 6 hours a day, divided about equally into traditional and experimental playing. I don't know what distinguishes "leading amateur", "amateur-pro" and "pro"; all I know is that it's always an uphill battle but after 3 years the effort is finally beginning to pay off! Well, not to put words in mouths but I heard it from either LXT or GY (2-3 hours = good amateur bit only), not really sure since it was some time ago, mixed with my own additions. Obviously it will depend on the amount of tutelage received... |
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Post by Si on Nov 23, 2006 1:11:36 GMT
usually finishing around 12:30 pm, after everyone else in the house has gone to sleep.
yeah thats the good thing about qin - you can play as late as you want to without disturbing next door! |
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Post by YouLanFengChune on Nov 23, 2006 3:17:34 GMT
pardon me... My dizi sounds 300m in all directions. My neighbours from the opposiote block can call me and ask if i'm alright (assuming my mood was bad, and i was practising"
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Post by Si on Nov 23, 2006 5:13:05 GMT
i mean giqin is so quiet that i dont even disturb my wife sleepling in the next room - so no limit to practice time
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Post by Si on Dec 13, 2006 15:06:58 GMT
Just started to learn new piece. Its interesting cos unlike my last teacher who would go through the new piece, section by section. My new teacher has just given me the score and asked me to learn it for next week.
I have heard that is how Gong Yi also teaches.
Oh well better get to work!!
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Post by Charlie Huang on Dec 13, 2006 15:17:08 GMT
Haven't played qin for three weeks so far (not including the yaji) and I can feel my playing slipping...
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Post by Si on Dec 14, 2006 1:27:07 GMT
Well you will soon get back into it - its the same for me when i went to UK for summer hols.
I hope you dont "pack it in".........
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Post by guzhenglover on Dec 15, 2006 7:06:49 GMT
I think what they say about short- and long-term memory also comes into this discussion. In connection with this there are, among other things, what's crudely called "muscular" memory, which refers to the fingers/hands/arms etc. repeating a certain behavioural routine e.g. using the same set of fingering and hand/arm movements for a given guqin composition which we've previously learnt), as well as the "mental/musical/aesthetic" memory, which we use to recall what we've previously learnt. Apparently it's harder than one might think to completely forget what someone has already learnt (and I mean "completely") - thanks to our memory. Even if one seems to have momentarily forgotten how to play something (i.e. temporary loss of mental memory), having muscular memory means that often it's possible to retrieve the playing ability (and vice versa may also be true).
My point? We do and can get back into it - if we want to. Here's hoping that you are gonna get back into it real soon, Charlie!
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