It is a great challenge to find enough time to practice! Even piano performance majors in conservatories have to deal with course loads to satisfy degree requirements. In my recent interview with Madame Ruth Slencyznska, I asked her how she managed to find time to practice, particularly when she was traveling from continent to continent playing concerts. Her answer was to steal moments!
My father had the same philosophy. Whenever a student couldn’t make a lesson, he would take advantage of the time by practicing. It’s amazing how much you can get done when you take advantage of every spare moment!
Dinner isn’t quite ready, practice! Waiting for a return phone call, practice!
In the accompanying video, I took advantage of a 15 minute slot I had available before teaching a student. I showed how you can learn at least a couple of phrases in a short practice session. These little bursts of productivity can really add up over time. You must take advantage of any time you have to squeeze in more practice time!
You will see in the video how I concentrate on learning very small chunks of music at a time. This has many benefits. First, if you only have a small amount of time, you are guaranteed to be able to learn something. Also, when you have more extended practice time, you can sustain a longer period of productivity by never exceeding what you can absorb at any one time.
Try this out for yourselves. You will find that even when you think there isn’t enough time to do anything productive, you could end up with more time than you imagine. Instead of just scrolling on your phone waiting impatiently, you can instead forge ahead with learning your music! Let me know how this works out for you.
I’m Robert Estrin here at LivingPianos.com, Your Online Piano Resource.
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6 thoughts on “Stealing Moments to Practice: Advice from Ruth Slenczynska”
Great advice. Very tough to find a big block of time, especially for those with small children and/or a long commute.
I try to wake up early, do a bit of exercise and play a little. Mind fresher than at night.
You have to find what works for you. You seem to have found a formula!
Very constructive demonstration on memorization and practicing. Very encouraging for us non professional players to see how an artist/ professional of your level learns a new piece. Thank You.
You may enjoy this video as well: https://livingpianos.com/how-to-practice-a-new-piece-on-the-piano/
Using spare moments is great advice, that I will try with my own practice! Thank you, Robert, as always, for another useful video. By the way, that is a lovely piano. Is it your personal instrument?
Yes, that is a Chickering Quarter Grand which fits perfectly in our music room. It is a delight to play!