#pianoblr

19/07/2026

i guess finally leaving the burnt out phase with music (it's been a couple of years wihtout touching a single key after studying it for tool long, let me tell you 12y), the first step is gather all the music sheets that i didnt know i have.

Next time you sit down to practice, set a timer for 5 minutes and start a small project, such as..

Learning a blues scale (I'm a classical player learning jazz and it's intimidating as a whole, but 5 min of practicing a blues scale is fun)

Practicing a difficult passage

Sight reading new rep for school, work etc

Write a few phrases of your own music if you're an aspiring composer

Improvise on three chords and see if you can make up a little tune

When the timer goes off you have to STOP! No matter how much fun you're having or progress you're making! Then:

Write down somewhere (day planner, notebook) what you did and what the next step is, such as: "Chopin Cm etude: played LH all the way throughwith metronome at quarter note = 52"

Move on to another piece or project with another 5 minute timer.

For big projects, I allow 10 or 15 minutes.

The next day, sit down with your instrument and pick up the *same* first project. Doodle around with it for another 5 minute session with the timer. Same rule! STOP immediately when the timer goes off (ok sometimes I cheat and finish a phrase just to hear the cadence resolve) and make another quick journal note.

For professionals or those with huge amounts of rep to cover, here's how to stack up 5-min bursts for a larger project:

Have an AM practice session of 45-75 min (divided into a 5 min warmup and a few 10-15 min blocks; you can cover 2-5 separate projects)

Take a 10-25 min nap or meditation. NO LONGER. This is to allow your brain to move the info into longer-term storage and freshen your mind for the afternoon.

After lunch, have a 30-45 min session (3-5 projects.) I usually *don't* repeat any material from my AM session; I treat this as another "first" session after sleeping.

After dinner, run through everything you practiced already that day, but in a more "big-picture" way. (I don't set timers for this session.) Run all the way through repq if you only worked on sections earlier. If I'm tired mentally, I improvise for fun or play my favorite rep..or, if I'm on a deadline, whatever is coming up soonest. If I still have some mental energy I do a bit more detail work in addition to run throughs.

After a few days of practicing in 5/10/15 min bursts, not finishing the project will feel like a cliffhanger. You'll have continuity and purpose in your work. Imagine you're a sculptor and each day you carve out a bit more progress; each day's work is small on its own but before long you have a finished piece of artwork.

And why the 5-15 min limitation? We humans have short attention span. My favorite teacher once told me the first 15 min of any practice session are the most productive. So use that to your advantage!

What do you guys think? Anybody else out there use timers and journaling to stay on track? I want to hear your ideas ..xoR

２０１９年７月２７日。