Mirco
582 posts
Apr 17, 2018
3:43 PM
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I'm learning to play blues piano now. I want to keep up with harmonica, too. How best should I schedule my daily hour? I can think of two approaches:
1) Practice piano for an hour on A days and harmonica for an hour on B days.
2) Practice piano for a half hour and harmonica for a half hour every day.
As an educator, I know the value in daily practice. All the research I've read would indicate that #2 is the better choice. On the other hand, the set-up time would be doubled and I feel like there would be more wasted time.
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Marc Graci
YouTube Channel
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Komuso
755 posts
Apr 17, 2018
3:58 PM
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3. Use a rack and practice piano and harmonica for one hour together;-)
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Paul Cohen aka Komuso Tokugawa
HarpNinja - Learn Harmonica Faster
Komuso's Music Website
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Chris L
182 posts
Apr 17, 2018
7:10 PM
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Just for consideration:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-interleaving-effect-mixing-it-up-boosts-learning/
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Komuso
756 posts
Apr 17, 2018
8:09 PM
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Good catch Chris. IL is used in Sports training a lot as well.
Along with that is Focused Practice eg: A Better Way to Practice
I wrote a little musical practice session timer to help facilitate some of those focused practice concepts @ FoPra
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Paul Cohen aka Komuso Tokugawa
HarpNinja - Learn Harmonica Faster
Komuso's Music Website
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RyanMortos
1684 posts
Apr 17, 2018
8:23 PM
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I practice 1hr harmonica, 1hr piano each day. I sometimes think it was a mistake to become serious with both with an average of 2 hours a day. To paraphrase something my piano teacher was quoting, you miss 1 day of practice your teacher notices it, 2 days of practice your family notices it, 3 days everybody notices it. So it's probably best to practice both each day as much as possible if you hope to achieve some facility. Sometimes I practice acoustic guitar 2hrs here or there over the course of a few weeks. I know I ain't going anywhere with it like that but it's fun to make music on an instrument I dont have attached desires to get somewhere with.
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~Ryan
See My Profile for contact info, etc.
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Komuso
757 posts
Apr 18, 2018
6:36 AM
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Don't forget mental practice, which can x2 or x3 your physical practice time. It works for sports, and it works just as well for music.
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Paul Cohen aka Komuso Tokugawa
HarpNinja - Learn Harmonica Faster
Komuso's Music Website
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The Iceman
3538 posts
Apr 18, 2018
7:23 AM
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Too much focus on looking at that clock....IMO.
There may be a better way....
For instance, growing up, I had to practice piano for 1/2 hour/day. My mom would set the kitchen timer buzzer....I'd try to sneak into the kitchen and move that time up 5 minutes - but, BUSTED!
So, I was focusing on the TIME I had to (or wanted to) practice instead of a more effective practice approach.
As I developed a different focus over the years, I found that QUALITY OF PRACTICE TRUMPS PRACTICE TIME...(and no, Komuso, I'm not trying to sneak in a Donald Trump political undercurrent to the proceedings! ;>) ).
That's when I developed the 5 min/day concept - which is simply based on a shorter amount of totally focused practice time nets results that are better than extended "loose" practice time.
So, rather than focusing on the CLOCK, why not turn attention towards serious razor sharp attention when you practice - hard to sustain for long periods, but easy to sustain in bite sized (5 min, 10 min) stretches.
It's worth a look, anyways...
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The Iceman
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RyanMortos
1685 posts
Apr 18, 2018
8:15 AM
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I totally see the point of quality over quantity practice. You can practice 2hrs and not grow at all or focus on a very specific thing for 15 minutes and get better at it. But restricting oneself to 5 or even 10 min/day is a joke. Probably better to pick a specific thing to work on and where you want it to be and work on it to reach that point until you can do it a few times at ease that day whether it takes 5 or 50 minutes.
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~Ryan
See My Profile for contact info, etc.
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Mirco
583 posts
Apr 18, 2018
9:20 AM
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I understand and agree with the idea of interleaving. Theoretically, it would be better to practice harmonica each day for 30 minutes and piano each day for 30 minutes.
However, when learning a completely new skill (such as piano), there is a lot of new movement patterns to be practiced. Perhaps a block of 60 minutes every other day would be better for building the requisite muscle memory. Do you think the player's level of experience comes into play when determining practice times?
Also, I think there is a point of diminishing returns concerning "interleaving". For a ridiculous and overexaggerated example: suppose I wanted to practice 12 different instruments and I dedicated 5 minutes a day to each, for a total of 60 minutes. That would be inefficient and a waste of time. So I think there is a sweet spot when we choose to divide our time. Maybe 30 minutes on each of two instruments would be a good compromise. 20 minutes on each of 3 instruments MIGHT work... beyond that, I think you're dividing the time too much.
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Marc Graci
YouTube Channel
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The Iceman
3541 posts
Apr 18, 2018
10:00 AM
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I'm surprised at Ryan's comment "But restricting oneself to 5 or even 10 min/day is a joke." Not good to make a sweeping opinion unless you've examined the complete concept.
My 5 min/day concept was developed in the lat 90's and is taught to my private students and was taught at Augusta Heritage Blues Week for 3 years in a row to a class of 25 students.
Out of 25, the reality is that only about 2 or 3 would actually follow through with the complete concept (outlined in previous postings here and on Harp-L).
A month or so after the class, I would receive one or two emails from those serious students who gave me feedback as to their success and how it actually changed how they approached their instrument and the astonishing results they received.
So, before you discount it, I wonder if you've examined the complete concept, which is way more than just "practice for 5 minutes a day". All you need is 5 min/day practice, but there are a few caveats as well. There is a lot more to it than just those 5 minutes!
Once again, look up in the archives for the complete outline. Too long to rewrite it here today!
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The Iceman
Last Edited by The Iceman on Apr 18, 2018 10:02 AM
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Komuso
758 posts
Apr 18, 2018
4:02 PM
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The whole point of using a session timer is so you don't have to focus on time and instead can focus on the practice.
You just shift gears to the next stage when you hear a beep.
It's entirely possible to use a 5-minute practice session and a series of focused 5-minute practice session would without a doubt lead to better learning outcomes than an unfocused rambling half-hour session (for example).
Combine short practice sessions (even mental ones) wherever/whenever you can with focused longer sessions and you have a multiple win learning situation.
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Paul Cohen aka Komuso Tokugawa
HarpNinja - Learn Harmonica Faster
Komuso's Music Website
Last Edited by Komuso on Apr 18, 2018 4:03 PM
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snowman
338 posts
Apr 19, 2018
9:24 AM
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maybe practice piano w/ morning coffee right away-maybe no time limits
-I've discovered when u have passion 5 minutes can easily lead to a 1/2 hr or 3 hrs--
or if u have a small portable u can practice scales,licks in bed when awakening or at night during commercials and focus on finger dexterity on piano of choice later
personally I practice harp all day on n off-when not bothering anyone
I practice remembering lyrics and vocal training while house painting alone ,as not to embarass myself or bother people
THE MAIN THING i'VE LEARNED IS START YR PRACTICE --IT USUALLY LEADS TO A LONGER PRACTICE , ONCE U START
I 've been guitar n rack for almost 40 yrs-its second nature now
Dedicate at least 1 hr a week playing with rack n piano- melody lines in 1st pos, for folky stuff---leads in 2nd, 3rd,1st
Be patient learn simple tags--Be patient-walk b4 run
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The Iceman
3544 posts
Apr 19, 2018
9:34 AM
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OK, one "hint" into my "You only need 5 min/day practice to achieve awesome results" concept.
If in your mind, you only commit to 5 minutes, your internal logic will always scream that THIS IS NOT TOO MUCH TO ASK OF YOURSELF, thereby removing one potential obstacle of self sabotage....
So, once you set that "timer" for 5 minutes, work on ONE ASPECT of your technique -i.e., OWNING 3 hole inhale first bend, for example.
When the timer goes "ding", you are done with your homework and can now go outside and play with your friends....however, if you feel inspired to go for extra credit, keep practicing beyond that 5 minutes until you feel you are done.....don't feel you have to fulfill a complete 1/2 hour, hour or however long you may have previously set up in your mind....
This is just a small piece of the caveats included with 5 min/Day.
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The Iceman
Last Edited by The Iceman on Apr 19, 2018 9:35 AM
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Rontana
465 posts
Apr 19, 2018
10:53 AM
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Curiosity got the better of me, so I dug through the archives till I found Iceman's "5 Minutes A Day Concept." Good stuff here; I could see how the method could be very effective.
You'll find it within this thread (click the link and then scroll down 14 or 15 comments)
Iceman's 5 minutes a day concept
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"Humor is always the first victim of political correctness."
Last Edited by Rontana on Apr 19, 2018 10:56 AM
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RyanMortos
1686 posts
Apr 19, 2018
12:10 PM
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I can see how the 5 min/day plan would work for those who don't already set aside time for focused practice daily. Those who do already take part in it.
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~Ryan
See My Profile for contact info, etc.
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