Intermediate and Advanced Players question: Practice

[bobkeenan]

I am curious.... for you Intermediate and Advanced players out there. In the first few of years of learning how much did you practice? I have been doing 15-30 min a day, every day of the week the first year. And have not been happy with my progress. So this year I am committing to an hour a day, every day. I am seeing better progress and, I think, that I am learning how to practice better. I am also listening more to the tunes I am learning till I am waking in the morning humming them.

I thought I was being good till I saw an interview of, I think it might have been Kevin Rowsome?, who said that he had to practice about 5 hours a day for about 5 year before he was somewhat satisfied with his level of playing.

I asked a similar question a while back, on c&F, and think I got a lot of 15-30 min a day answers but I bet that was for people who were already at an intermediate or Advanced level.

And I recognise everyone is different.

So in the first few years.... How much did your practice or I guess I should say how much and how often did you "play" (more positive term).

Thanks

[uillmann]

Sometimes, I would spend about 30% of the time practicing, and 70% f#*&king around with them. It didn't help me become a better piper, but it allowed me to get intimate with them.

[ennischanter]

I spend about 45 to 90 minutes. Sometimes up to a couple of hours.

[ausdag]

Do as much as you feel you want to do within the time constraints of everything else you have to do. As a beginner, I couldn't put the things down, unless the reed was playing up and I felt like throwing them out the widow. Once I had a few tunes under my belt, I found by the time I have gone through them a few times it was already nigh on an hour.

No sense in forcing yourself though. If one particular day you just aren't in the mood, no amount of force will help you improve; it will only end in frustration. Alternatively, on those days, if you feel you should do something, try some repetetive exercises such as practicing staccato repetitions like what is found in Leo Rowsome's tutor, quote, "When the pupil has become familiar with the staccato and legato scales of "D" the following exercise will be found useful and of practical value. Sound any of the notes of the lower octave of the legato scale of "D" and then make four staccato notes in succession on any one note of the second or upper octave...the first note sounded in the legato scale will be "D" below the treble clef. Sound the simple note for a few moments and close the chanter on the knee, squeezing the bag with the left arm, and then, with the fingering shown ... make four staccato "E's" in succession, keeping the chanter on the knee during these four notes, ... closing the chanter between each stacato note."...

[Mr.Gumby]

Here's a new insight, possibly not for the beginner/intermediate who are still acquiring instrument skills but there's a good point there.

[Calum]

My personal view is there's a lot to be said for taking a week's break on a regular basis, and in particular doing it *before* you become frustrated enough to "need" a break. This is what I've done over the last year re-starting from scratch and I'm "comfortable" - whatever that means - with my progress to date. It's not quite the same thing as Peter's Guardian article but I think the underlying effect is the same.

From my experience teaching GHB, my sense is that in the initial stages, the 5 hours a day thing does not really do more for you than 10-15 minutes, and that this is true up to the point where you actually know about a dozen tunes and can play them reasonably effectively on the pipes.

I would also say that those who do do the five hour a day thing are generally driven to do so, they don't choose to becae they feel they're not making enough progress...what that means, I don't know.

[TheSilverSpear]

I practiced about two hours per day for six or seven years. Now, I am lucky if I manage two hours per week.

[CHasR]

It is extremely difficult to keep burnout at bay, as the years pass on ones instrument(s),, and one has to be constantly on guard for that.
Currently, I'm a smouldering, mojoless cinder.

[PJ]

... he had to practice about 5 hours a day for about 5 year before he was somewhat satisfied with his level of playing.

If you start young enough, and are sufficiently inspired, sure. But I started in my mid-20s and had (and still have) plenty of distractions which prevent me for spending 5 hours per day with my pipes. (job, family, exercise, studying, etc.).

When I started, I would try play for an hour or so, once or twice per week. Then someone told me to try shorter practice periods but more frequent (15-20 minutes every day). That worked much better. These days I regularly (3 or 4 times a week) spend an hour or more practicing.

[Lorenzo]

It also depends on how proficient one has become on other lead-in instruments, like whistle, flute, etc. I've seen a couple newbies that were almost "recording artist" worthy within a couple or three years...probably not so much due to practice time, but understanding what makes the instrument tick and their own natural talent.

[bobkeenan]

Thanks for the comments. So I will keep up the hour a day... taking short breaks when I tired or frustrated to listen to tunes. That seems to work.

On a side note. I am finding the process of learning to be very interesting. For example.... I am struggling through Doherty's Reel in Clarke's book. Cuts seem very natural to me now but rolls still feel awkward. So I will work on that tune till I get tired and then go to a tune that I know, but maybe dont play well yet, like the Youghhall Waltz (one of my favorites).... and my will fingers fly over that tune. Even if I had not practiced it in a week or so. There is something about the struggles of learning one tune that help my brain and fingers play well on another. And there are no rolls in Youghall waltz (at least the way I play it). I just thought that was curious.

[Cathy Wilde]

I guess the big question is what are your goals as a piper/what do you want to get from the pipes?

That should pretty much determine how you proceed from there.

I've probably got about 1300 hours in so far, and I sound like it. But that's OK ... it's much farther than I expected to get! Everything after this is a bonus.

Good luck!

[bobkeenan]

I guess the big question is what are your goals as a piper/what do you want to get from the pipes?

That should pretty much determine how you proceed from there.

I've probably got about 1300 hours in so far, and I sound like it. But that's OK ... it's much farther than I expected to get! Everything after this is a bonus.

Good luck!

Hmmmm.... I guess i am around 200 hrs. I think I have staged goals:

1. Be able to play a handful of tunes in front of family or friends and have them think at least " well... That was better than I thought it would be" (within a year)
2. Be able to play at session speeds and be worthy to join a session (a couple more years)
3. Incorporate the regs into my playing (3 years from now)

Somewhere in there is learning to play by ear which i am only now trying to do.

I am not sure how realistic that is but that is my plan.

[An Draighean]

Not that I consider myself advanced or even barely intermediate - but I love playing my pipes. For me it is fun and relaxation near the end of the day that I look forward to, and I play as long as I can; hardly ever less than 1 to 1.5 hours a day. More when I can. But for me mentally/emotionally it's "how long do I get to play today?" rather than "how long must I practice?".

Also, I highly recommend the book "Effortless Mastery" by the jazz pianist Kenny Werner: http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywor ... a5j9pvse_b

It was recommended by someone else here on C&F in another thread. If you can get past the new age philosophizing, there is quite a bit of insight there into the state of mind of great performers and artists, as well as suggestions to overcome mental blocks and make practicing/playing better. Reading it helped me to recognize my need to express myself through pipering.

[ennischanter]

Not that I consider myself advanced or even barely intermediate - but I love playing my pipes. For me it is fun and relaxation near the end of the day that I look forward to, and I play as long as I can; hardly ever less than 1 to 1.5 hours a day. More when I can. But for me mentally/emotionally it's "how long do I get to play today?" rather than "how long must I practice?".

I am the same way, friend!