practicing.

Does anyone else abhor practicing? I have to practice quite a bit as my university requires everyone to have an applied instrument - but I HATE practicing. It doesn't matter what little shortcuts I take or change it up to make it interesting - I just don't have the attention to detail or personality to handle perfecting scales or pieces. Not that I don't love playing the instrument, but when I play it's always messing around with something original. I've found myself really slacking now that I don't have a jury to worry about for a few months...:whistling:

Anyone else feel the same way? If so, how do you work through it?? The level of instrumental ability on this forum may preclude any sympathetic responses. :)

Vanderbilt makes it so you don't have to have an applied instrument 8-)

I can perfectly relate to your problem. I love playing my instruments too, but at some point I had to admit to myself that I found practicing technique hours a day much too annoying to get to a professional level with my instrumental abilities. I had considered studying piano before I entered the conservatory, but in retrospect I'm glad I still went for composition instead. I never minded the requirement of actively playing an instrument while studying composition though, since it was always clear to my instrumental teachers that this was not my major and they understood if I had to set a priority in composition, which sometimes meant that I barely had time for instrumental practice. And the instrumental requirements to pass weren't very high.

Since I have my Bachelor's I'm not required to continue on an instrument anymore, but I still choose to take as much time for lessons on my two instruments as the school is willing to pay for. I definitely don't practice as much as I'd like and as I feel I should, but having regular lessons helps me not to slack off too much. And after all, I love playing music.

i remember having that problem too, but luckily i was "a good boy" and once i've seen the great benefits of practicing, especially in the improvising department, i've worked my donkey during music school. although now, that i've achieved my goal as an instrumentalist, i dont practice unless i have a gig or just have a breeze of shredding(not metal shredding).

composing doesnt require you to be a virtuoso, and practicing takes out the energies of composing as well, so its a dillema. i find that when i have the muse for it, it works the best. getting a teacher really helps practicing logical also, with the correct demonstrations you can see the effect of scales etc.

Virtuoso to be someday. I dont mind. I enjoy practising.

God bless you!