I'm missing something here. I Didn't know we were supposed to keep a log on practice days. Anyway, I added my name since I haven't missed a day of practice since August 2003. Hope that's OK. I guess my forum obsession must be slipping .

Scott Prell -- Here
Brandon Prell (10 y.o.) -- Here
Nicole Prlel (8 y.o.) -- Here
Dgoddard2 -- Here
SusieQ -- Here
CHAS-- Here
markjpcs
Plays88skeys
apple
Cindysphinx
mound
DaleH
ilikemozart
SAS
cathys
teachum
tk
PattyP
Classicalgirl
classicalgirl's daughter #1
classicalgirl's daughter #2
Frank R

Frank,

There are two challenges going on.

There's "Master of your domain," where you practice every day, even for a few minutes. There is no obligation to keep a log of any kind.

Then there's the 1680 minutes challenge. That's where people are using an on-line log to keep track of their cumulative practice time in February. It's a totally separate thing.

Feel free to join the 1680 people, but it's totally up to you.

I just want you guys to know that when I buy another house and get my piano back, I am sooo going to be practicing more than my measly 20-45 minutes a day! Consider this fair warning to all the heavy-duty practicers (is that a word?). I'm gonna be breathing down your keyboard!

Having no piano in the house sucks big time!

Cindy, just so you'll have someone you can stomp easily, I signed up and have entered my time for Feb. 1st.

Questions about entering information on the database:
1. Should I retroactively enter my January time?

2. What exactly are we including in our time on the database? Is it just time actually at the piano? I have been reading the Gieseking/Liemer Technique book as well as Seymour Fink's book on Technique (I'm not travelling, just doing it at home). Can I include that time?

3. I have also begun teaching my 8 yo son, but I'm not including that in my own time (although I am playing the teacher accompaniment along with him when his pieces have it).

4. I tried to enter comments/ notes (for my own use), but it wouldn't accept my entry unless I left that field blank. Is there a character limit in that field?

CG

Good questions, CG.

1. If you know your January time, I think you could enter it.

2. I'm just thinking out loud on this one, so bear with me.

The database is divided into two sections. One, I presume, is for "practice" and the other is for study. I assumed that we're only counting toward the 1680 minutes time entered as "practice," which requires time logged on the bench.

Under that approach, reading a music theory book while lying in bed wouldn't cut it. Studying music theory on musictheory.net wouldn't count as "practice." Using a method book where you sit on the bench, read explanations and then learn whatever they are trying to teach you on the piano *would* count.

3. Time spent teaching a child wouldn't count, unless you are playing. This might be worth a few minutes of practice, so what the heck, log it!

4. Gotta defer on the tech question.

Anyone got a different understanding?

Woooohooooo! Now that I'm about to begin Alfred's Book 2, I'm gonna be smokin!

The big text fields are limited to 255 characters.

Never Mind.

Aargh!
I quoted myself.

That wasn't what I was trying to do.

I am amazed at the things I find myself doing here.

Someday (I hope!) I'll get the hang of it.

teachum wrote:
Oh my! Of course I meant minutes! How silly of me! No one could do 500+ hours w/in the last three days. Although, markjpcs does seem very techinically minded... Perhaps he will figure out some sort of time travel device, and really WILL be able to do 500+ hours over three "days"!

tk

Hey guys, count me out...
Nope, I didn't stop practicing! It's just that I entered the MOYD game cause I needed an extra push, and I realized today that this past week I've been practicing without worrying about the challenge and I actually feel the need to practic every day.
The effort was also paid yesterday when I was told that I'm part of my school's orchestra as a pianist, so I'm very happy! Thanks Cindy for this challenge and good luck to everyone

Awesome, DuCamp! And congratulations!

Do check in with us from time to time, especially if you need a push.

Pushing we're good at!

Still practicing, starting Grieg's Elfin March as soon as I get a copy (I am very stressed over this, I want the full lyric pieces but Henle doesn't make the full one and henle is 20% off at sheet music plus. :/). I want the piece because the recital is at the end of April and I don't have the piece yet and I'm 14, but the piece is for 15 year olds but my teacher thinks I can handle it since I sight read the Haydn Sonata in C (XVI:3). I may go in the older sight reading class as well. Busy, busy, busy.

Cindy:

I'm out. American Idol got the best of me yesterday, dammit!

Good luck to the rest of you. Make us proud!

Oh, Scott!

I think it was those PianoMagic people that did it to ya!

Who do ya like of the American Idol people so far? I like Anwar Robinson (the male music teacher with the cool dreadlocks) and Nadia Turner:



Apparently, Nadia lost on "Star Search" some years back.

Nadia rocks! She was one of only two or three that performed really well yesterday (IMHO, of course). It seemed like most of the contestants bombed this week, though the guys did a bit better than the girls, I thought. Some of the performances were downright painful! But, I give them all a lot of credit--I wouldn't have the nerve to do it myself!

Sorry to hear you are out, Scott. The darn show almost got me, too, but I was able to sneak in 25 minutes yesterday. Whew! I am determined to see the month of February through!

Cheers!
tk

So, now that I am back in full health and feeling chipper and all that, I am really regreting my two days of sickness and being out of the masters contest. what was the original rule about illness? Is there someway I can still be in? (oh, this is so pathetic, now I'm groveling!!)

I am also considering giving in and using the database and entering the 1680 minutes contest too, assuming I can figure out how to keep track of my playing minutes. I assume break time is subtracted?

Anyway, here's me pathetically begging. What was the rule about sickness for MOYD?

You have to describe your symptoms in Great Gory Detail and then throw yourself on our collective mercy. Vertigo is good, vomiting is better, loss of consciousness is a stone-cold winner.

We've, uh, never declined an illness exemption.

But there's a first time for everything, so make it good!

Regarding the March hour-a-day challenge, just keep your minutes on a sticky and then enter them when you have a chance. Yes, you should subtract break time and other interruptions.

Well, let's see... I practiced in the morning, and then I was teaching my evening lessons (english, not piano!) and I started to get dizzy and my throat was getting really sore. By the second lesson, I was in a total daze and was sounding all froggy, and I was dizzy and really couldn't talk by the third lesson, and had to cancel the 4th lesson. Went home and immediately went to bed (forgot to check my temp.) The next day I had a fever and no voice, as well as those body aches and pains that make anything other than being vertical impossible. Had to cancel school visits for that day, making some children who live way out on a loney sea coast even lonelier

My husband took me to the doc because, in addition to my throat, my ear was acting up (I tend to get ear infections when I catch a cold, so that was a big concern) Was told I had a nasty infection in my throat and that my ear drum was "collasped" but not fully in the danger zone yet. Was told not to talk because that would be a strain on my throat and would encourage germs/bacteria/whatever he said in Japanese to move more into my ear. Got some drugs and was told to go home and get back in bed, which I did. Slept as much as my painful throat would allow, and then before I knew it, without my getting to the piano or even opening a piano book, it was already the next day.

Canceled my lessons again since I still couldn't talk, making even more students even more lonely (and probably making some other teachers angry since they had to do more math or science lessons) Went in to work to make my lesson plans and have some meetings with other teachers. This was tricky because I still had no voice, so I had to "air" my words and use lots of memos. Still had a fever. The simple act of being up and about wore me out completely and I went home from work (almost got in a car accident because I think I was half-passed out) and immediately got back into bed. No piano. The day passed in a blur. The next day I was a little better and taught some lessons with my froggy voice, had the doc check my ear again (no change) and after work I finally practiced the piano, and then wrote a whiny post here on PW.

No vomiting, but fever and lots of body and throat pain... and I *had* to rest so that I would get better as quickly as possible to get back to work as soon as possible. And also to avoid another ear infection, which if you've ever had one as an adult, you will know that this is a very painful and dangerous thing to be avoided at all costs...

Well, if I am not getting the pity vote, I should at least get the "too much information" vote. Shouldn't I? Let me be back in!! Please!! Pretty please!!!

Oh, man. A half-collapsed ear drum? A near-car accident.

Works for me. I vote for an exemption!

ShiroKuro, I'm curious. Do you speak Japanese, or was it the flu that made you not follow your doctor's statements?

I vote for letting you back in; of course I'm easy and have a vested interest since I hope you'll think of me when considering my travel exception

Cathy

I agree. Exemption granted (can people who are "out" still vote?).

Good question, Cindy. I'm curious, too. ShiroKuro, your English is excellent. Are you Japanese, or just living there?

I vote she stays in too. Maybe those of us who are out can form a medical exemption committee and review all requests for MOYD medical leave and render a decision.

Yeah, I'm in again. Thanks a lot everyone. And Cathy, looks like you're in too. whew, what a relief!

I do indeed speak Japanese (I am bilingual) but I am American (good thing my English is excellent! BTW my husband is Japanese.

Altho I studied Japanese in college, there are lots of Japanese vocabulary I learned after coming to Japan. In other words, I learned those words in Japanese, without an English translation (a lot of musical terminology was like that till I got a J-E musical dictionary) so some things I don't associate very closely with English words, and since I had a fever and was dizzy, I can't really remember what the doc said. Actually, the real problem is that, after all these years of ear troubles, I still don't understand what it is that causes it, is it a germ or bacteria or virus? Since I don't fully understand that distinction in English, I also don't understand it in Japanese.

Anyway, thanks for lettin' me back in!!!!

Hi all -- I'm out.
We went on a roadtrip and I read my Chopin waltz up to our destination, then the next two days, got distracted in the great weather, and a nice hike. On our roadtrip home, I did ready my Chopin waltz, but there were those two days away from it.

In

Having surgery in the morning, March 1, for a bad rotator cuff. Maybe I can spend a bit at the piano before going to my "doom". Will be staying in the hospital overnight.

Don't think they will let me do left hand stuff if I carry my digital along.

Hey CHAS - good luck with the surgery and hope you heal up fast!