Wednesday, February 16, 2011

(Don't) Practice Until Your Arms Fall Off

So, everyone who isn't under a rock has heard of the saying "I practiced until my arms fell off" and a lot of musicians take this to heart, practicing so much until they can't even play anymore.  I am here to say please don't do that.  It doesn't help you at all.  You lips, your fingers, your hands, they are all like muscles.  If you work out your muscles to much, what happens?  They actually get weaker.  And if you are wanting to get better, that definitely is not going to help you at all, is it?  No.  The reason to practice is to make yourself better, so here is the basics.  You need to practice until you get CLOSE to your breaking point, not over it.  Once you feel yourself straining a bit to play, stop and warm down.  Don't worry, if you do this, you will get better and eventually be able to play even longer.  But if you continually play longer than you should, you will not get anywhere.  So, in conclusion, practice until right BEFORE your arms fall off, figuratively speaking.

29 comments:

  1. Goes the same way when working out at the gym. You rotate what you are working.

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  2. Would be funny if someone without arms said that.

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  3. great post, the key is to practice smart and often, but never burn yourself out.

    randomramblingggg.blogspot.com

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  4. Agreed, you're not going to achieve much by going overboard with practice.

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  5. Ehh, i dont play an instrument, but this does make sense.

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  6. I play the drums, not a lot of practice to it

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  7. Well, if you play just drumset, maybe not. But to true percussionists, they practice just as much or maybe even more than instrumentalists.

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  8. Thanks for the advice. When I eventually get around to practicing again, I will keep this post in my mind.

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  9. Very good advice, your are right praticing until exaustion and pain come is not good, you have to stop befora that point.

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  10. Great advice. Same goes for all things non musical too :)

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  11. sometimes you just need to practice breathing and tonguing techniques with only a mouthpiece. unless you're playing drums.

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  12. Sometimes you like something so much you just can't stop!!

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  13. Great post, i will remember this, the next time i'm playing guitar.

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  14. i dont play any instruments but thx for the great advice

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  15. Play late at night (like 3am). Very nice mood.

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  16. Man I used to play the flute all damn day!

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  17. It's a nice theory, but what if someone enjoys playing THAT much?

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  18. Then they love it to a fault. There is no sense in playing for so long that it hinders your ability to get better. Any serious musician loves playing, but they know their limits

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  19. I play the violin and this is true/untrue. While practicing until your "arms fall off" isn't always good, it doesn't really matter until it's detrimental to your health. But breaks every hour are HIGHLY reccomended, because there can be some very serious problems from playing an instrument that much.

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  20. Well, you can get hurt from playing for too long. And you are right, it can cause serious problems, but it's more focused on brass instruments because your lips are your livelihood. If you play too much, it actually wears down the muscles, causing you to lose part of your range.

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  21. breaks are definitely needed. practice can only do so much.

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  22. I should really take this advice. I tend to spend too long practising at once, and lose motivation to play for a few days after that.

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  23. sound advice, I used to play the piano extensively and too much practice was not too productive

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  24. After playing some days (guitar) I normally stop for 2 days so that my synapses in my brain can connect. First I thought that was bullshit, but thats the way your brain learns and works.

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  25. good words, I find the key to practicing anything is to enjoy it :)

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  26. this is true, i think i was pablo casals who said that his secret to his great technique after all those years was relaxing his fingers, even when performing scales.

    following. :)

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  27. As a guitarist, I agree. After a certain point, I just can't play as well and that is when it is time to stop or take a break.

    Taking breaks is also good because it allows time for your brain to process everything that you have just learned. Wether you realize it or not, you are analyzing and learning from doing especially with an instrument.

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