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I've been trying really hard lately to organize my time the best i can and part of that is coming up with a healthy practice plan. I've always been a man of no more than 2 pieces at a time, and I've always tried to set the pace of maybe 3-5 'lines, or bars' (whatever you call 'em) a week. would this pace maybe be considered to slow... too fast..., advice please. and also in the morning I'd like to throw in maybe a half hour to an hour of solid scale exersises.

Let me hear your ideas as well!

Thanks

Too slow... to fast... that really depends on what you do with those 3-5 lines every week.

How long have you been playing? It used to be, for me, that I could practice even three hours each day and not be able to learn more than 3-5 lines every week, if that.

Now, after about six years, I can get 2-3 pages each week (or maybe 4 - depending on the piece and the number of notes...)

When you learn those 3-5 lines, try not just to learn the notes but also look at all of the directions in the music. Look at all of the slurs and make sure you're putting a slight emphasis at the beginning of each slur, and lift up lightly at the end of every slur. Make sure you pay attention to every stacatto mark and every tenuto. Make sure you have a really good fingering and that you can play smoothly. Make sure that your pedaling (if you're using the pedal) is smooth and comfortable. Make sure that you are playing dynamically and musically.

3-5 lines really isn't a lot note-wise (compared to the whole piece which is hopefully more than 3-5 lines!), but it is plenty musically if you pay a lot of attention to the details and making sure that you can play it really well. It's much better to play 3-5 lines very well with a lot of control, accuracy, and musicianship than to play 20 lines poorly.

As to practice regimens, there are a lot of suggestions but you need to formulate one that will work for you. Moszkowski said something to the effect that if you learn one measure a day you will have learned 365 measures in a year. Paderewski said that a 'bad' plan is better than no plan.

In general, I would suggest you do some finger exercises--Hanon, Pischna, Plaidy, your choice as there are many books by knowledgeable writers--a couple of scales thoroughly done each day until you've covered them all and then repeat the cycle--arpeggios to accompany the scales--double note scales if you're advanced enough to do those--then to your repertoire pieces. Devise a method to approach them--hands alone for eight measures or a section and then together at a slow pace, repeat process but at a faster pace, and repeat again at tempo. Move to next piece and do the same. Get into a format and follow it. When you've reached maximum results, then change your exercises/repertoire and continue. Some flexibility should be made for changing the process as your make progress.

Figure out a system that will get results for YOU and then stick with it conscientiously until you've completed your goal.

Good Luck!

Well-put Sam, I'm a ver articulate pianist and have been playing for not nearly as long as you, but I've always been the kind of guy to take things one step at a time and REALLY master what it is tht I'm playing, and that's how I pratice