Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum What do you recommend for practice or study on vacation?

I will greatly appreciate your comments on this.

What do you recommend to do regarding the piano learning process when one is on vacation and there will be no instrument available for practice? I know I may loose some of the skills that I have been learning from Alfred's adult piano Book and from several Hanon exercises I've done during the last three weeks, but I want to keep at the level I've achieved as much as I can.

I will have plenty of time to read. Are there any books you recommend? I was thinking about bringing my pocket size chords book so I can visualize them but I wanted to get more ideas from the forum. What would you recommend?

Thanks a lot!!

Hi new_2_piano:

Sorry if this is too obvious answer, but if your funds woud permit you buying a cheap standard sized keyboard, maybe it'd help...

Have a great vacation!

-angelojf

Hi angelojf,

I was thinking about that as well, but I did not want to buy one because I would not use it after vacation, and also the standard size keyboards I've seen do not come with weighted keys.. do you know if there is a model with weighted or semi-weighted keys?

Thanks a lot!!

In the past, I've printed a life sized paper keyboard (spouse thought I was crazy). It helps visualize sections if you aren't able to practice but want to study the score. You can workout fingering as well.

When I'm travelling and unable to practice, I always have sheet music and/or books accompanied by a CD (my teacher has said many times that this is like a free music lesson!) and some of my own recordings to critique with the score. I'll also bring along some piano method or history books. Sometimes a break from physical practicing and a focus on mental practicing is a good thing!

I'm not sure about details like weighted vs. not weighted, etc.

Maybe ebay can help? Also, I'm not sure about this (maybe more knowledgable folks will chime in), but if its a relatively short vacation, maybe the keyboard need not have weighted keys (if its to just be used temporarily).

Good Luck!

-angelojf

Sandy: That's a great idea.. I'll definitely bring a couple of books with CDs, and... I'll think about the paper keyboard -My spouse may also think I'm crazy-.

I also see it as an opportunity to catch on music theory reading, but it's a whole week I will not do any practice.

angelojf: I saw a small M-Audio USB keyboard ($99) but that one does not come with weighted keys and I think I need to carry my laptop too?... anybody owns one of these?

I used to play non-weighted in the past but I now play a PX-800 and I really like the feel and action that I do not want to go back to non-weighted...that's why I insist on weighted or at least semi-weighted.

The cheap keyboard is a really good option. A model light enough to carry it with you easily may be fine (as long as we can consider 'easy' packing on your holidays luggage a 88-k keyboard)

It doesn't need to be too 'sophisticated', just some exercise gear to keep your fingers in shape.

When I went to PR my friends had a keyboard, no weighted keys, just a standard keyboard which I practiced on.

It helped me tremendously to the point that when I got home I played my assigned music really well and my teacher commented on how great I sounded.

So it does help even if it's not a regular keyboard.

I'd definitely take along some kind of music theory workbook to read and work on. If you'll have access to a computer with an Internet connection, you could also play around with some of the drills at emusictheory.com --> Free Theory Drills . And of course, I'd also take along an MP3 player or CD player with some of your favorite piano music to listen to.

Hope you enjoy your vacation. Don't forget to relax a little too.

I would just focus on enjoying my vacation. :-)

Vacations are about taking a break from your day to day routines and to refresh your mind and spirit. Your piano will be there when you return.

I am definitely bringing a couple of exercise books, one theory book ....and Yes I have already loaded my mp3 player with the Steinway Legends 10 CD collection (Chopin, Schubert, Beethoven, Liszt, Bach, Ravel etc. ) interpreted by Alfred Brendel, Claudio Arau, Martha Argerich, Vladimir Horowitz, Maurizio Pollini ...

(if you want to see more about the collection:
http://www.steinway.com/features/MainFeature_Arkiv.shtml )

Also loaded a Jazz piano playlist (I love Jazz too).

And ...I will have access to a small Casio keyboard I borrowed from my dad.. that will be enough I guess.

Thank you all for your suggestions!!

I'm with Akira here. On vacation, do vacation stuff -- take advantage of all the attractions at wherever you happen to be. If you want to read, read newspapers, trashy magazines or books you really enjoy reading.

I have taken stuff with me to do while on vacation and usually end up doing none of it.

Your piano will still be there when you get back and and you won't have gone backwards.

If you do take piano-related stuff with you, I will be interested to know, when you return, how much of it you actually did

If I were so fortunate to go on any kind of vacation 3-day to weeks of it, I would not ever in my lifetime worry about my piano practice, for any reason, it would be a welcome hiatus from the piano.

I would try to see what the local environs has in the way of music performance or activities that are not in any way commercially sponsored...in other words the local arts groups - and community spirited people. Maybe it would be a drum and bugle competitions, a barbershop shop, a performer doing a solo recital, kids playing Suzuki violin, the talent show at the local fair or street days, and on and on......I would find this very rejuvenating to see and hear. I'd find them by checking the community newspapers, and maybe selecting a town within an easy drive and looking ahead for their annual arts schedule to see what I could pick up on during the year.

I much prefer this to the high priced concerts in the entertainment world and the classical stage of the elite performers. Web sites are easy access these days, throw in a good restaurant, and a tourist attraction and you've got a good event.

And, most of all, it probably matters who you are there with. It doesn't take a big budget to have simple pleasures.

I will be leaving for a "short" 5 day holiday tomorrow. Unfortunately - Betty, I am still enough of a beginner that I am sad to be without a piano for a few day! - I couldn't manage to arrange for a piano for practice, and I did not want to invest a fortune in a decent stage piano.

What I did get is a full-size foldable card-board keyboard which will is easy to carry, and which will help me look at fingering and how to put the score on the keyboard. And in addition I will take the score of two new pieces (much more than I'll be able to handle in a few days!) to analyze and memorize.

Enjoy your holiday. When you get back, please do tell us how much of that studying and memorizing you actually did

I agree with Akira and Bruceee. I would just enjoy your vacation and not worry about piano practice.

I travelled recently for two weeks and had no access to a piano. I was surprised to find that when I returned, I had gotten slightly better not worse.

Well I'm speaking from experience here.

When I went to PR I swore I wasn't going to even think of the piano and I even advised another member to forget the piano and enjoy their vacation. but you know what?

After a full day of sightseeing from getting up at 6am to get fresh bread from the bakery to going around the Island to the sights and the beaches, when all was said and done, and we were back at the house we had choices.
Watch TV, read, twiddle thumbs, listen to the crickets or do a little practice before going to bed.

I was fortunate that my friends had acquired a keyboard that was just sitting there so I opted to practice and my practices were so much better because I was relaxed, my mind was free and full of nothing.

So my advise is enjoy your vacation to it's fullest and if you have a couple hours before going to sleep where you have the choice of watching TV, or reading, or twiddling thumbs, or watching paint dry by all means utilize that to practice if that's what makes you happy.

i know sometimes on vacation you cannot pack things like a small keyboard , so in that case i recommend you do finger exercises and look at compositions to practice sight reading. we all can always improve on sight reading.

when in the plane or in the car, you can set your palms down and trill slowly your middle , 4th , and 5th fingers , pressing solidly against the table or wood or panel , keep doing it slowly until there is a burn. keep doing it, reps , sets . practice lifting each finger high up before striking down. practice good form.
you can do this for almost an hour in total per day and keep great strength in the fingers.

also , bring a few musical scores. peruse through them. imagine playing the notes. visualize that you are playing your favorite pieces.
lot of times , tennis players, professional skiiers have been known to meditate and close their eyes and VISUALIZE their practice or performance.
your body is not actually doing it, but you are keeping your mental sharp about it. and when you go back to doing it, your body follows immediately suit.

look at different compositions. try to recognize the chords the notes. keep doing this, as PATTERN RECOGNITION also occurs in music sight reading.
my teacher can pick up any musical score and play it generally through at a great speed because he says over the course of many years, he has developed to recognize patterns in chords in note placing in certain sequences , etc.

he sees a group of notes and already knows/feels how his fingers will fall on the keyboard.

so just take books with you of unknown composition and keep going through all the measures and visualize how they would be with your fingers.