Hi all

Hope you are having a good Monday.

I just wanted to ask your views on how you keep practising fun. I really love playing the flute and have played for about 8 years, and im taking Grade 8 then going to do the diploma and really want to go to Music College in 2008, but i practise nearly an hour to 2 a night and lately its becoming a little boring. I dont feel that i am improving and i love the pieces that im playing but when you play them over and over then they kind of loose the feeling. Does anyone else get this problem and what can you do to make it better?

Thanks, Lance

Hmmm.

Practicing is always at the end of the day...work. It sounds to me from what you posted, that perhaps trying out some new or more difficult pieces might be in order for you. Are you currently taking lessons from a private instructor? If not, perhaps a private instructor could help you focus and find new things to try.

Personally, when I practiced heavy duty on flute, I gave myself certain goals that could be accomplished in a decent time frame. This way I always felt I was moving forward, and I had things to feel good about on a regular basis instead of feeling like... "Crap!! I still can't play these two measures in this piece perfect!!"

If you don't feel like you have any way to move forward at this time I would suggest taking something you feel like you play well and record it. Let another flutist listen to it and offer suggestions. Maybe you think your tone is great but someone else will hear something you could work on. Of course these are general suggestions, so if you can give a bit more info on what your normal practice routine is, maybe we could help spice it up a bit!

Hi thanks for that that is quite true, i think at the moment im working on exam pieces and theory and after 8 hours of work it is a bit intense, i'm working on reinkes ballade (sorry about spelling) and also Handel sonata in B minor and am looking at the Doppler Fantaise which i really like. I think setting goals is quite a good point. Do you know of any fun simple peices as well as i really like just messing around with the sailors hornpipe which i know not a lot of people like, and at wind band we have just done lord of the dance, i know there quite simple but they are fun to break up quite an intense practise.

There is a piece I would recommend that I feel is slighty easier than what you are practicing right now and it is very beautiful. It's 4 movements long. Unfortunately, I just brain just shut down. I will try to remember it as the day goes on, or look it up tonight. It's going to drive me nuts now until I remember it.

<Added>

See. Yeah I should have been MY brain just shut down, but I think that typo proves my point! XD

Bolero by Emily Pessard is a fun piece that you may want to look at.

Suite Modale

That's the name!

Thanks guys for all you suggestions, it really helps.

You may find it helpful to distinguish playing and practising. If your teacher doesn't set you enough challenges which can only be achieved through practice then you need to discuss this with them. Some challenges you will find harder than others and occasionally even success will be boring. With hindsight when I did my Grade 8 (many many years ago) I should have had a better teacher.

You may find you enjoy playing more if you broaden your repertoire to include different styles of music. Do you ever play any Jazz? Do you play in an Orchestra as well as a Wind Band?

It may be better to half the amount you practice in order to be more goal focused and concentrate better. You don't have to be a perfectionist but it helps!

that last post was good, as were the previous posts..

we all need to make practicing inventive and creative, I have given lectures just on this topic. I try to make every exercise a piece of music, thus blurring the line between exercises and actual pieces.

try changing the order of things, that helps a lot, name each etude you play with a creative title, lot more fun that way..

but remember, if you learn a language, you still have to learn to conjugate verbs and learn your vocabulary, music is no different...