# This a good Practice routine!



## Davzon

First off I start off with scales

C Minor Harmonic gradually Increasing the tempo from 60bpm to maybe 80bpm depending when I start to makes mistakes then I write that down in a note pad of the speed at which I could play it without mistakes. 

Then I did my Scale Octaves of cause keeping with the same scale I was just doing and increase the speed on that also, but also making sure my wrists are loose and night tight. 

I then work on a Piece at the moment it's Mozart Variations on Ah!_Vous-dirai-je_maman_K_265 or Tinkle Tinkle litter star as its normally know. I try to get a few bars down at least I seem to be doing through it rather quick though, it's still the easy parts at the moment I've looked and it gets a bit more advanced further down the piece. but I normally try and get anything down what I can, my saying is this, if I can play something I couldn't play before, then I've improved. 


Then just to give myself a break I'll play a Hanon exercise but I only pick one a day so I do a different pattern everyday, It's not so much the speed it's more getting my fingers used to different patterns. 


Then I do ear training and then sight reading. 

Then if you choice to play again I just go through my scales again playing them staccato. generally I hope this is a ok practice.

If anyone else has ideas then that would be amazing


----------



## PetrB

Try C# minor, melodic, in contrary motion: the fingering pattern shifts from the ascending to the descending, and you get to keep track of both ascending and descending (i.e. "conflicting" variants of the scale, a bit more of a workout for the brain 

Extract from pieces you are working upon the key, the key areas it modulates to, and practice those scales and arpeggios.

Extract from the pieces any difficult passages you might want to practice hands alone, make a fingering for the opposite hand, and practice those parallel - no reason one hand need lay idle.

The use of Hanon, and why they are written in C: to save oceans of paper and ink, they are written in C, but they are intended to be practiced in all keys.

Best regards.


----------



## maestro57

Oh my head hurts from thinking about these exercises.


----------



## PetrB

maestro57 said:


> *Oh my head hurts from thinking about these exercises*.


*No Pain; No Gain!*


----------



## maestro57

PetrB said:


> *No Pain; No Gain!*


Haha! Oh, PetrB. So wise.


----------



## Davzon

> The use of Hanon, and why they are written in C: to save oceans of paper and ink, they are written in C, but they are intended to be practiced in all keys.


 Well I was thinking of doing that maybe just stick with the first pattern but just play it in every key, although I'm sure some of the keys will be pretty tricky, but I guess that's the point, but then there are keys that are played in more than others I think that has a lot to do with orchestral music cause good keys to write in are C Bb and Eb major but I guess it has a lot to do with the transposing instruments anyway, getting off track a bit, it's meant to be about piano lol. but thanks for the advice I will sure to try that later on today.


----------



## PetrB

Davzon said:


> Well I was thinking of doing that maybe just stick with the first pattern but just play it in every key, although I'm sure some of the keys will be pretty tricky, but I guess that's the point, but then there are keys that are played in more than others I think that has a lot to do with orchestral music cause good keys to write in are C Bb and Eb major but I guess it has a lot to do with the transposing instruments anyway, getting off track a bit, it's meant to be about piano lol. but thanks for the advice I will sure to try that later on today.


To be considered a real and truly just normally equipped musician, one should read all key signatures readily, and be able to play in any of them equally well (especially keyboard players). That is just a given.


----------



## Davzon

Very true it's one of the things I lacking in. I mean I've started being able to play all major scales well, good enough I'm making mistakes as much as I was, but it the problem is with me is that there is just so much to learn. I think it's just my brain can't keep up with my hands or something, you know what I mean it's all well playing fast but playing the wrong notes is well.. pointless. maybe I've left it too late for it to be like naturally breathing, cause that's how I want to be, but then saying that I have a habbit of aiming too high and then hate myself for it. I just don't want to get to a point where I stop learning cause I've already wasted too many years.. I do now try to enjoy just playing anything cause if I do worry and go, omg are you a muppet to myself then that wont help at all lol.


----------



## Taggart

It just takes time. Start slowly and work up. You can't play faster than you can think! Get to know the scales slowly. Work through the cycle of fifths so you get to know how they work.

You ain't left it too late. I'm 63 and going for grade 7, you sound like a spring chicken! Relax, enjoy the music and work steadily.


----------



## PetrB

Davzon said:


> Very true it's one of the things I lacking in. I mean I've started being able to play all major scales well, good enough I'm making mistakes as much as I was, but it the problem is with me is that there is just so much to learn. I think it's just my brain can't keep up with my hands or something, you know what I mean it's all well playing fast but playing the wrong notes is well.. pointless. maybe I've left it too late for it to be like naturally breathing, cause that's how I want to be, but then saying that I have a habbit of aiming too high and then hate myself for it. I just don't want to get to a point where I stop learning cause I've already wasted too many years.. I do now try to enjoy just playing anything cause if I do worry and go, omg are you a muppet to myself then that wont help at all lol.


This may not have originated within Alcoholics Anonymous, but I've heard the saying is used regularly in that program. Makes good sense for everyone...

ONE DAY AT A TIME.

Developing a skill to a degree where it seems natural or reflexive is the result of patient and repeated work, and the only way to acquire that is through a cumulative progression -- so, one day at a time


----------



## Davzon

> You ain't left it too late. I'm 63 and going for grade 7, you sound like a spring chicken! Relax, enjoy the music and work steadily.


 Well I'm 34, I do have a certain idea of scales but I've only really started to learn scales from only a few years most of the part I was just playing around making stuff up, I've written a few instrumental songs.



> This may not have originated within Alcoholics Anonymous, but I've heard the saying is used regularly in that program. Makes good sense for everyone...
> 
> ONE DAY AT A TIME.


 haha..I wonder is there a Musicians Anonymous lol (So what brings you here today I can't stop playing scales i play them when I first wake up and before I go to bed help me they are taking over my life pmsl haha.


----------



## Taggart

Davzon said:


> I can't stop playing scales i play them when I first wake up and before I go to bed help me they are taking over my life pmsl haha.


What you mean in sixths, thirds, contrary motion not to mention the chromatics,and all the above stacatto as well, double thirds and sixths, and as for the Russians ... don't go there


----------



## Davzon

yep too right I've started working with sixths and thirds. I find chromatics scales easy even starting on any note. of cause only one hand at a time of cause, I have been working on playing C# chromatic or as I like to Db chormatic cause whens the last time you ever had a piece written in C#, but sadly they both mean the same thing anyway. but for me it's easy cause I know the circle of fifths. But I do try to play scales going up in fourth, fifths, and then just play them chromatically. I've learned the Chinese scale also which to be honest is easy to know, cause it's kinda like C Lydian mode but you don't play all the notes. so for example.. a C chinese scale is C E F# G B C


----------

