Practice Makes Perfect, And Nobody’s Perfect, So Why Practice?

Piano Practice – Is it Normal to Hate to Practice?

Is it normal for a student to hate to practice? Anybody else feel this way? Most people love music, but hate to practice.

It’s very common for musicians to say they hate to practice. One undesirable aspect of practicing is the simple fact that the musician must practice passages and techniques that are difficult for them to play. This creates frustration on the part of the musician and can make them question their abilities.

Some practice materials are designed specifically to develop technique and playing such materials can be quite tedious. For example, a violinist may spend most of a one-hour practice session concentrating on the proper way to hold the bow and draw it across the strings. In a case like this, no real music may be played for the entire hour. Progress can be slow, adding to the musician’s disdain for practicing.

Lack of motivation can cause the musician to avoid practicing altogether. For most, it takes years (and a great deal of patience and dedication) to become an accomplished musician. The ones that succeed are good at delaying gratification and developing the patience needed to succeed. It’s very common for a musician to reach a number of plateaus where they don’t feel any progress is being made. The patient ones eventually work through the plates and move on to a higher level of musicianship. Others may give up their instrument entirely.

Having practice sessions at the same time on the same day (although important to getting good results) may be too regimented for some musicians. Music, by it nature, is a very creative endeavor, often requiring the freedom to experiment and explore new sounds and styles. Being “stuck to a schedule” doesn’t work for some musicians.

The musician’s attitude toward practice can have a lot to do with their current teacher or instructor. Some teachers go to great lengths to give their students interesting and enjoyable practice assignments as they realize musicians who enjoy practice, practice longer. An experienced teacher who knows their student well, is very adept at choosing music that develops the musician’s skills while giving them something to look forward to playing. Unfortunately, many musicians who need a teacher to keep them focused and practicing may not be able to afford private or group lessons.

Until recent years, methods books for virtually any instrument were quite boring and dry and focused on repetition as being the key element for learning. Method books today often include a number of popular songs, and more interesting and musical materials. Some include an accompanying CD for the student to use for hearing how a piece should be played. You can also find CDs that contain a “backing” band for the student, allowing them to build their musicianship by playing along with others.

Whatever you do, use spaced repetition instead of doing all your practice in one session! If you practice 1 hour per day, break it up into 3 sessions of 20 minutes each. Remember that the mind can only retain what the seat can tolerate. Plus you will keep your concentration better if you only practice 20 minutes in one sitting as opposed to one hour.

Finally, the quality of the instrument being played can have a great effect on the musician’s attitude toward practicing. A poorly-made or dull sounding instrument is just not a pleasure to play. Many students find their playing and attitude toward practicing improves when they purchase a better instrument.

About the Author

Duane Shinn is the author of a free newsletter on piano chords & progressions available at PowerPianoChords.com

Time after time, I have come across pianists who cannot read music well and rely on memorization to save them. Do you admire pianists who can just pick up any piece of sheet music and play without stumbling? If you want to take your sight reading to the next level then check out the piano course "Mastering The Art Of Piano Sight Reading!"